Christmas 2017

I love all of the pre-Christmas excitement: concerts, dinners, parties, nativity, etc. When we all walk out of school and work for Christmas break, it is a CELEBRATION!

We had 4 days of party with the Lees and Grandpa & Grandma Nunn. First day we went to the temple (youth - baptisms & the adults did a session). 

The girls all slept under the tree that night.

I love having Christmas Eve on a Sunday. We just had Sacrament Meeting with a Christmas program. I did sing with the ward choir. Austin was even home and made waffles for breakfast for us. We were snowed in because the snow had blown in the night covering our driveway. Thank goodness for Brad Sommerfeldt who came with his tractor.

Then we celebrated the rest of the day in Taber. We played games and had dinner. We played a new game that Jeanette gave us (Telestrations - where you draw a picture and the person next to you tries to guess what it is. Then the next person draws what that person thought the picture was, etc. Grandma Nunn kept us laughing as she thought one of the drawings was a square dance caller and one was a typewriter. Not quite as common in this generation). 

We did see Rudolph's red nose in the back field after dinner. Then we had a Christmas program. Carter was in charge this year. He had 2 songs listed on the program, and then the program said, "Ask if anyone wants to do something." Carly played "First Noel" on her violin (she had played at our ward party and her violin recital, too). She is rocking her violin playing. 

The unexpected highlight of the program was that Jill, Hanna & Kaela sang "Hallelujah" while Taylor played the piano.  Jill and Hanna singing in front of people is not in their normal idea of things to do. They each sang a solo verse and then the chorus together. It was so AWESOME! Jill told me she was facing a fear. We loved it.

Christmas Eve night is my least favorite part of Christmas. We are usually so tired as we put the finishing touches on Christmas. I second guess all of the gifts and wonder if it is too much or too little or equal. I wonder if Austin thinks I did a good job. I wish I had more wrapping done before that time. Luckily it all turns out just great by Christmas night.

I thought the girls might sleep in a little, but I was wrong. All of the girls slept  in Jill & Hanna's room downstairs. We heard someone go to the bathroom at 6:30 am, and then a couple minutes later we heard a whistle. It was Carly at the top of the stairs just checking to see if we were awake yet. 

The Christmas gift opening began! Santa brought Jill a hat box, Hanna & Lucy got new cowgirl belts, and Carly got a drone (a remote control airplane thing that takes pictures, too). I gave Austin hair trimmer for horses and a massager. He gave me new running shoes. I loved all of the gifts that the girls gave us and each other.  Several months ago, I decided we were having hundred dollar Christmas.  We would only spend $100 on each person. I stayed pretty close to the goal. 

Carly was determined to stay in the limit so her wish list including things like silly putty and a blank canvas to paint on. She did write a letter to Santa and asked for a ukelele or wood carving tools. When she opened her drone, she said, "This is even better than a ukelele."  Good answer!

We are surely blessed!

We had Christmas dinner and played another game at Grandma Nunn's. We definitely eat a lot during the holidays. On Boxing Day, it was cold (-31 C  or -23 F). We had some turkey sandwiches, played a game where you have to put this plastic thing in your mouth and then read cards and have your team try to guess what you are saying. That is where I draw the line. There is no way I was putting that thing in my mouth. #gag  It is funny. Then we attempted a few minutes of sledding on our hill. It was fun until we couldn't feel our feet anymore.

I love the Christmas season, and I am kind of sad when it is over. Luckily we still have almost 2 weeks until school starts again.

Another successful December birthday

We all know that having a birthday 5 days before Christmas is not my favorite thing. But my family and friends passed the test!

I actually took the day off work. I had a massage appointment, and then Jill and I braved the snowy roads to go to Babb, Montana to pick up our packages. Then we went out to lunch at Little Mexico and finished a little Christmas shopping in Cardston. We went to hear Carly sing at her elementary program. Austin grilled steaks for our dinner (even though it was -20C outside).

None of my gifts were even wrapped in Christmas paper. That is the true test.

My quality friend, Barb Salmon, gave me these trays of goodness for my birthday cake!

Basketball season

Hanna was so excited for basketball season this year. Shelly Quinton agreed to coach varsity girls basketball. She coached Hanna's grade 9 team, and she is so good. Hanna's team is fun. Not super tall, but they are fast.

Her first tournament was in Calgary at SAIT. We weren't able to go and watch her, but they were the tournament champions. They had a couple really close games, but they always pulled ahead at the end.  Hanna still wasn't feeling fantastic, so she said she didn't play a ton.

Her next tournament was at home for the Cougar Classic. They lost their second game to Magrath, so they ended up in 3rd place in the tournament.  On Saturday, Austin was supervising a couple games at the junior high, and I went to take him some food, and Jill was standing there. We were so surprised. She told us she was going to watch the NFR with the Ahlstroms, but they ended up not having a bed for her so she decided to just come home, but she didn't tell us. My parents knew, my sisters knew, and Austin's parents knew, but we didn't know. What a fantastic surprise! She came home a week earlier than we expected.

The Cardston varsity boys did win their tournament, so the whole school wanted to be in the celebration picture!

Lucy's team went to their first tournament in Letbridge, and they won their first 2 games but lost in the championship game to Raymond. They were excited to get 2nd place in the tournament.

Hanna's team also had a tournament in Lethbridge the same weekend. Luckily the games were in schools very close together, and they didn't overlap so we got to watch all the games. 

Hanna's team won the tournament. They are fun to watch. Hanna was feeling a little better, so she played more.

Austin Turns 44

On the day Austin turned 44 (November 30), Lucy had a basketball game, Austin had a parent meeting for all of the basketball teams, we had a stake presidency Christmas dinner to go to, and then Carly had an elementary choir concert that we went to.

So we observed Austin's birthday the week before while Jill was home.

We had sticky buns, bacon & chocolate milk for breakfast.

We had steak, twice-baked potatoes, salad and cheesecake for dinner.

He opened his gifts: a team roping rope (from me and Jill), a pullover jacket (from Hanna, Lucy

& Carly) and gloves and "The Last Lecture" book from his parents.

Carly also had a scavenger hunt around our house that she has been working on for weeks. She had printed pictures of her and Austin and had notes at each stop that talked about what she loves about her dad.

Lucy had also made him a coupon book (including a note to remind him that she was his favorite daughter).

Jill Came Home

Jill got a week off of school for US Thanksgiving!

She drove home in her new white truck with Jamie Berry and Taylor Lewis.  Parents worry on their kid's first solo drive from Utah to Canada.  They did it!

While she was home, we went to Cochrane to watch a very cold football game in the snow. 

Enjoyed Sunday naps. Jill went to dinner in Lethbridge with Bailey Cahoon and also got her haircut. We celebrated Austin's birthday. We watched Lucy's basketball game. We celebrated US Thanksgiving dinner with our neighbors, Shane & Tressie Smith. We put up our Christmas tree. Jill and I drove to Waterton to see where the fires had burned and ate lunch at the Twin Butte restaurant. Jill played in the Alumni basketball tournament, which included a game against the current girls varsity team (including Hanna). We also had a Southern Circuit Rodeo in Cardston. Jill won the open goats and got 2nd in breakaway.

It's good to know some things never change!

For their last game against the varsity team, these girls dug out some classic uniforms from the past. Although they looked good, the varsity girls did beat them!

Vehicle Trouble of 2017

January 2017 - blue mini van gets hit while parked at Austin's school
March 2017 - got money from insurance for the van
March 2017 - bought a 2007 Chrysler Sebring - got the smoke smell out
May 2017 - realized that the green Saturn teenager car had a bent frame from when Jill hit a curb when she slid down the junior high hill in December. We put new tires on, got a new tire rim and still had trouble so we realized the frame was bent. Took it to the salvage yard, and the nice man gave us $75.  Bought another Saturn teenager car - silver this time
August 2017 - Letting Jill take the Sebring to Utah to college. Took it in a couple days before we left to get the oil changed. Needs new brakes. Can you fit us in? We are leaving on Tuesday. Check.
October 2017 - In June they told me we needed to fix the transfer case seal in the Yukon. A week before we left, I took the Yukon in to fix the transfer case seal fixed. Go to Utah to watch Jill's college rodeo and go to General Conference. Transfer case seal comes out on our way through Pocatello. Left the Yukon there for the weekend. Warranty covered the transfer case seal and a whole new transfer case.Tender mercy in disguise.
October 2017 - Jill calls to tell us she has been in a car accident. She is okay but the car is not. Jill borrowed Rachelle's old Ford Explorer for a few weeks. Doug helps her shop for and buy a new truck. Tender mercy.

October 2017 - Austin takes the Yukon to help Joe Saville in Saskatachewan. The transmission went out on their way. They could still go, but only 30 miles per hour. They started home, but Austin had me find a flatbed trailer and come and meet them. Ryan Olsen said I could borrow his. He hooked it up, changed one of the tires, and then that tire was flat by the time I got to the gas station. The tender mercy of the day was that Bob Wilson pulled into the gas station at the same time.  He put the first tire back on, and I was on my way. I met them in Foremost. We loaded the Yukon and were on our way. We dropped the Yukon off at Rick's Auto.

October 2017 - We took the Saturn to Julia's farewell in Taber since it was the only working car. The check engine light came on while we were driving home. It needed a new thermostat for the cooling fan.
November 2017 - One night I got the truck stuck in our driveway because it was so slick. It took 1.5 hours to get it out with a pretty good job tearing up the grass in the yard. Then I took the truck to buy some salt to melt the driveway.  I decided to stop and fill it up with gas - in a diesel truck. I realized what I was doing after I put in about 20 liters. I called Austin. Then I sat down on the curb and cried. Luckily I didn't start it. Paul Sloan came and towed the truck to Rick's Auto. They drained it the next day, and no damage was done.

We decided to buy a new car, so Austin and I went to Lethbridge shopping. We found an Acadia that was in good condition and had low kilometers. We applied for financing and came back home. The next day after fasting and praying about it, we decided to fix the Yukon instead. New transmission: $3,000.  We decided for now we were going to take our chance and have faith that it will last another year or two instead of going into more debt.

November 2017 - We decided to finally get new tires for the truck. They have been bald for more than a year. We needed to drive the truck to Edmonton, so we bought new tires.

November 2017 - Jill's new truck that she bought came with 2 weeks of insurance, and we have been working on finding her new insurance. The quotes we were getting were between $385 and $525. That was not even possible for her or for us to afford. The day before she was coming home for Thanksgiving, she still didn't have insurance. She called to sign up for the $385 option, and they said it is actually $525 because you are a foreign driver. I called our insurance here, and she suggested I try calling All State Insurance. Tender mercy. After 50 minutes on the phone, we had a policy in place for Jill for $196 per month. I was so thankful and slightly worried that it was too good to be true and that something else would go wrong. So far so good!

We are thankful for cars to drive. We wear them out because we go a lot of places. Maybe we should just ride our horses or hitchhike instead.

Hanna ~ Sadie Hawkins Dance

Hanna asked Mitch Olsen to the Sadies Hawkins Dance at the high school. The dance is a girls choice dance, and the theme was the 1920s.

Hanna posted goofy pictures of Mitch all around his bedroom to ask him to the dance. He came and put up streamers around her bedroom with 2 bags of all-dressed chips that said, "I am so excited to  get All Dressed to go to Sadies with you."

Hanna rented a dress from the theater in town. She went with a fun group of kids who made pizza at Haylie Holland's house before the dance.

Hanna has the honor of having her dad at the school dances since he is the principal. Lucy and Carly also went with him to take money at the door. Carly danced the night away in the hallway. She says she can't wait for high school.

Hanna is lucky she ended up getting to go to the dance. She had a pain in her right side that started on Saturday night. On Monday morning when she said she didn't want to go to school, I decided to take her to the doctor to see if it was appendicitis. 

Here is my notes while we were killing time in the hospital:

Monday, November 6 

Hanna would not get off the couch to go to school

Pain in her right abdomen 

Decide to go to Cardston Emergency Room after we drop off kids for school.

Please rate your pain, one being a bee sting and 10 being child labour.   Hanna had to think about it because bee stings actually hurt. #7

Wait half hour - talk to Dr. Leavitt

Blood test - Hanna's first ever

Wait 2.5 hours for them to decide to send us to Lethbridge to get an ultrasound. 

Hanna wants to build a fort in her hospital room. I wanted to play Hide the Thimble.

Drink two glasses of water on the way so your bladder  will be full. Only drank one. Got in the hospital and had to go the bathroom right now before  we even made it to the ultrasound room. So I made her drink a little more. 

Never fear the bladder was completely full. Check the ovaries, the kidneys, and the appendix. 

Hold on while the radiologist checks it. 

Couldn't wait much longer- had to go. Everything looks ok.

Radiologist calls Dr. Leavitt. Sending us to ER to talk to surgeon.

Hanna's locker is stuck. 3 workers can't get it open. Call maintenance. Send Hanna to ER in her hospital gown. Lock was stuck in my water bottle. 

Had to move the truck twice so I wouldn't get a parking ticket.

3.5 hours so far waiting for surgeon 

Hanna hasn't eaten for 10.5 hours 

Hanna keeps saying this is lit.

So finally the surgeon came in after 4 hours and said that she didn't look like she was having an appendicitis. Then he showed us where the appendix is. The pain is not right there. An inch or two lower. Probably something to do with her female system. Pain should go away after a while. Appendicitis is faster moving infection that comes with fever and nausea, etc.

Well, we were glad she didn't need surgery, but still don't really know what is wrong.  The pain is still there but she functions. Hopefully it will go away really soon.