Rockstar Sunbeams

You'll remember that last year, Reagan passed off all of her Articles of Faith. Yep - in her first year of Primary, she memorized each of the 13 Articles of Faith. My friend Stacey and I called her the Rockstar Sunbeam.

Well, she did it again this year and Cole did it as well! Another Rockstar Sunbeam - wheeehheeewww!! Even though he was 3 during most of the year and he had some pretty big words to memorize, he did it.

I was so proud of both of them. I think it is a great thing for them to memorize them and to know what we believe. In fact, they were the only children in our entire primary who memorized all 13 this year - their Primary Presidency gave them each a special little gift.

Way to go guys! New Year's is this week and we'll start all over again :)

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas was wonderful! We had a great Christmas Eve with our family (except April who was sick). We got together and had a nice dinner. Next, we had our traditional program (thanks Rach!). Finally, we played and opened some presents. Reagan and Cole love to play with Annie and Stockton - we kept thinking we'd get going on watching Christmas Vacation (another tradition of ours). We had it queued up on the tv, but everyone kept talking and playing and we just enjoyed each other, sans the movie this year.

We did have one "mishap" on Christmas Eve. We were assembling one of the toys for the next morning. All of the kids had been instructed not to come into the office. Shannon came downstairs to help and Reagan couldn't stand that we were all in a room that she wasn't allowed into. She had her back to the door and she was banging her body against the door (while whining for Shannon to come out). Well, the door opened and she fell down, jumped up, and looked right in at what was being assembled - a pink doll house. I told her to close her eyes, turn around and go upstairs. Shannon wondered whether she had seen anything - I guaranteed her that our secret was out. As Shannon went upstairs, she overheard Reagan telling Annie "I wasn't supposed to see it, but it is a huge, pink dollhouse." Yep - one glance is all it took. I eventually came upstairs and told her that Santa had delivered that toy to our house and asked Daddy and Mommy to put it together for him - he probably wouldn't have time that night. So, I told her that we might not be able to give it to her now that she peeked. I put in a call to Santa to see whether he wanted to take it to another little girl who didn't peek. She was upset, but I went back downstairs to continue working. Reagan - ever the drama queen - walked in by the group of adults in the kitchen and asked if she could speak with Shannon "privately". The two of them went into the living room and Reagan proceeded to protest her situation. Apparently she said that it wasn't fair that she couldn't have the doll house, that she didn't mean to come into the room - she fell, that she doesn't understand why her parents are thinking of giving it to someone else and that she is "not ok with that." She then asked Shannon to speak with Steve and me - on her behalf. Seriously???? Santa did eventually get back with me and agreed to let Reagan have the doll house, despite peeking - whewww! Maybe next year, she'll be more careful.

On Christmas morning, the first thing she saw when she ran into the family room was the doll house and she was elated!!! Another favorite for her was the Hello Kitty locket that Shannon gave her on Christmas Eve. We took a picture of Shannon and Reagan and put it inside the locket. So cute! Cole received lots of Cars stuff - always a winner.

Throughout the Christmas season, Reagan had asked Santa for "a unicorn pillow pet, but it has to be the large size and purple and pink, just like my niece's." Wow - that is a tall, very specific and detailed, order. That's all she said she wanted - to each Santa's helper or to each person who inquired. I have to admit that we actually bought her coveted item in April and we were going to give it to her for her birthday in May, but ended up having too much other stuff (yep - stuff!). So, I just held on to it and figured it could be a Christmas gift. Well, Cole was with me when we bought it in April - all 3 years old of him then. He seriously kept the secret about the pillow pet for 8 whole months!

Every time Reagan would talk about it, Cole would flash me this knowing look and keep his mouth shut! I was shocked. So, as a sort of reward, I wrapped up that pillow pet in Christmas paper and put it under the tree with a tag from Cole to Reagan. She was thrilled to get it Christmas morning and Cole is her new hero for being the only one to hear her requests and grant them :)

After the unwrapping was over, Shannon headed out, we got ready for church and had a great, one hour, meeting! We were only home from church for a bit and then April came over and Rachel and her family joined us. More presents - more food - more fun. Rachel and her family gave Reagan and Cole the cutest bathrobes - they love them! Finally, we went to Steve's parents' house for more presents, more food, and more fun. We love to go to Grandma's house and it is a bonus when there are presents! We got to visit with family and joke and play. By the time we returned home, we were tuckered out!

What a beautiful, great, joyous day. I sort of fussed that we had to go to church on Christmas day as it interrupted our tradition of breakfast (mostly, I was upset that I would miss out on Kev's omelets), but that fussing was short lived. What a perfect thing to do on Christmas Day! We had great speakers, beautiful music and a wonderful Sacrament Meeting where we could worship and give thanks for the birth of our Savior. We really tried this year to emphasize to Reagan and Cole that the reason for the season was Christ. I think they got it but you can't eliminate the excitement of gifts, decorations, candy and family fun. I guess that's ok - its all part of the season. Christmas is about family and we loved spending time with ours. We were able to be with all our family (even if we weren't all together at the same time) and it made for a Very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Card

In case we missed anyone, and because this blog is our own, family scrapbook, here's our Christmas card this year. Our photographer (big plug for English Photo) suggested a custom made card - with pics on both sides - and we were thrilled to see what she designed. We love it! The first pic is the front of the card and the next is the back of the card.

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

O'ahu - Days 8 & 9

Our last, full, day here - sad. Oh well, we will make the best of it. Actually, we're excited to get home and get ready for Christmas which is only a week away!!!!

We got up and headed right to the pool. It was sunny but raining a bit, so, Reagan, Cole and I decided to pick up breakfast and let the rain quit. For some reason, Cole declared that he didn't want to swim today, so, he dressed in regular clothes, including the bead necklace they gave each of us when we checked in to our hotel. Just in case, I brought his swimsuit and rash guard - I had a feeling he'd change his mind. We took breakfast to go and headed back to the pool. I don't think Cole even finished his breakfast before declaring that he wanted to swim - good thing I planned ahead :)

At some point during this trip, purely by accident, Reagan learned how to do a somersault under the water. Well, today, she tried to teach Cole. It was so funny, I had to video her "lesson". She's nothing but enthusiastic at his efforts - "Bravo!" she yells as he unsuccessfully tries to flip underwater. What a coach!

As is our MO, we went from the pool to the beach, to the pool to the hot tub, to the slide to the pool, to the beach, etc. Steve and Cole went to the beach without Reagan and I for a bit and they built an awesome sand castle subdivision. When Reagan and I joined them, we were lauding Cole's work and he just kept saying "Its not ready yet." Steve related that Cole had helped put each bucket of sand in place and then put shells in specified places and then went and poked a hole in each castle. When Steve asked what he was doing, Cole told him he was putting doors in each of the castles. Well.... yeah - they need doors, right? Too funny. Reagan tried to put a woman's touch on the project which was only halfway welcomed by Cole. At one point, Reagan dumped a bucket of water on Cole's head which turned into a big 'ol water fight. Cole spent the next half hour trying to ensure that he dumped a bucket of water on Reagan, regardless if she was already in the ocean.

Yep - I'm going to miss being here. As I said before, I really seemed to need this trip, more than some of our other adventures. I have so enjoyed sitting by the pool, looking out over the pool, the beach, and the ocean and seeing Diamond Head in the background. I love that there are beautiful places like Hawaii that we can visit and get a break from the cold of home. Still, as I've said before, I don't think I would like to live here. I don't think I'd appreciate the beauty of the islands if I was here all the time. Just as I wonder at the majesty of the mountains when we return home. This has been a wonderful trip. We'll get up tomorrow, take an early shuttle to the airport and be home before midnight - with only a week to go until Santa comes. This really is the most wonderful time of the year!!!! Farewell Hawaii - until next time.....

O'ahu - Day 7

The sun was back today and we were ready for it. It was a beautiful day in paradise!

Rather than hit the pool this morning, we decided to go on a catamaran ride. We could only get on the 1pm sail, so we walked along the beach, had lunch at McDonalds (always a hit) and hung out until it was time to cast off.

The sail was fun, but a little disappointing for Cole. He wanted to see sharks. Really? Unfortunately for him, fortunately for me, we didn't. We still had a great time though. Reagan and Cole wanted to stand on the bow of the boat where they could see and feel the wind. Well, they soon realized they would also see and feel the waves crashing onto the boat. They were soaked! Even I was soaked, standing way back in the center of the boat, taking pics of them. Reagan and Cole each steered the boat and we made some friends on our sail as well.

After returning to the hotel, we changed into dry clothes and headed out for dinner. We decided to just pick up Subway and return to our favorite hammock area to watch the sun set again. It is so beautiful here and the pictures just don't do justice to the gorgeous colors in the sky as the sun drops beyond the horizon of ocean.

Every Friday night, the Hilton Hawaiian Village (we stayed there for part of our trip last year) shoots off fireworks at the beach. We sort of forgot about it until we were getting ready for bed and we heard them. Luckily, we could see them from our balcony. We are on the 15th floor and could see them over the tops of the other buildings - nice!

Tomorrow is our last, full day here. You know we are going to make the most of it and be in the pool and at the beach all. day. long.

O'ahu - Day 6

Another fun filled day in the pool and at the beach. Again, today, there was some cloud cover. Again, this mama was glad because I'm always concerned that Reagan and Cole are getting too much sun by being outside in the pool all day. We swam and played, had lunch by the pool and then swam and played some more. I tried to have Reagan and Cole wear their hats when they were just sitting by the pool or in the hot tub - good effort mom, but it didn't happen all the time.

We cleaned up, had dinner and took another walk. What a life this is!

O'ahu - Day 5

Today was a little cloudy and we even had a few stints of rain, but that was ok for me. I didn't want Reagan and Cole to get too much sun. They kept on swimming regardless if there were showers for a few minutes. During one of the rain periods, Steve had "hijacked" my phone and was sending messages and pics from under the towel to Rachel. She wasn't fooled, even before the pic. She knew whom the messages were coming from :)

Reagan has found a little friend named Paige to play with in the pool. Paige is from Perth, Australia and they love to play and swim together. Sometimes Cole is with them, sometimes not. Again, today, we hit the pool, the beach, the pool again, then the beach again. Reagan and Cole can't seem to get enough - neither can I. We "inherited" a pool noodle from these Japanese ladies who were checking out and that has been our new fun toy to play with in the pool and the ocean.

We cleaned up in time for dinner and took a little walk down the beach and back up Ala Moana Blvd. We found a World of Bears store and had to spend some time there. We finished out our day back by the pool to lay in hammocks and watch the sun set across the ocean.

It is beautiful here and so very relaxing. I told Steve that I seemed to need this trip more than some of the others we have taken. I'm not sure if I needed the sun, the relaxing pool time, a change from our routine or what, but I have certainly enjoyed this vacation. Unfortunately, we are officially half way through our trip :(

O'ahu - Day 4

Another beautiful day here on O'ahu. We got up and headed for the pool. Steve somehow got into a water keep away game with about 5 kids in the pool. Reagan and Cole were the youngest, but held their own! Eventually, they tired of the game and wanted to hit the slide. We also got to see, and hold, a parrot. Cole was in, Reagan ... not so much!

Part way through the day, Reagan realized that it was Tuesday, which happened to be the day of her Kindergarten Christmas Program that she was missing. She has been asking, in her prayers each night, that her class will remember the words and remember the actions they are supposed to do and that the program will go well. She almost didn't want to come to Hawaii if she had to miss the program. (In all fairness to me, I checked with the school last May when we booked this trip and I was told that there would be no Christmas Program for Kindergarteners ..... grrrrr.) Anyway, I tried to make her feel better by having her sing me some of her program songs while she was in the hot tub. I took some video of one - she didn't remember the order of the verses at first, but ended up doing just fine :)

After a day in the sun, we cleaned up and did a little shopping as we walked down the shops on Ala Moana Blvd. There are great stores right by our hotel here. We walked by, or through, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Coach, Macy's, Bebe, Apple, Forever 21, Ferrari, Bvlgari, Hermes, Zumiez, Tory Burch, Louis Vuitton, and the ubiquitous ABC store. We had a great time shopping and walking. We ended up at McDonalds, to Reagan and Cole's delight, and had dinner there. After that, we crossed the street to the beach and enjoyed the gorgeous sunset out over the ocean. Steve and Cole wanted to walk along the beach back to the hotel while Reagan didn't want sand on the cut she had on her foot (from some of the craziness in the pool earlier in the day). So, we split up and the boys walked along the beach and the girls walked on the street - doing some shopping on our way back to the hotel.

One note - It seems like Cole constantly wants to "borrow" my phone. He plays games, draws letters, watches a movie or - his recent favorite - he takes pictures. Later, when I try to take a picture, I get to see all the crazy things he thought were important to shoot. Most of all, I love the silly faces he makes when he turns the camera to his own face. He loves to stick out his tongue, do crazy eyes or just smile. Sometimes, he actually takes a great shot! Here are some of the random pics Cole took on this day in Hawaii (and one that I took of him taking a picture of me taking a picture of him):

O'ahu - Day 3

We woke up for our next day in paradise and headed for a breakfast of champions - pancakes. It is Reagan and Cole's favorite breakfast and I don't make it very often at all. They asked for it yesterday, but since we were heading to a 9 am church meeting, we didn't have time for a long, sit down breakfast. Well, today, we had time. Our hotel is beautiful. They have sand sculptures, like last year, of Santa - island style :)

After breakfast, we changed into our suits and hit the pool. It was somewhat windy today, but who can complain? It is still warm and wonderful. Since Reagan isn't in swim class with Cole and me each week (we miss her while she is in school), I haven't been swimming with her for a while. She has really improved. She can swim very well for the whole length of the pool. She can also hold her breath for a long, long time (the width of the pool). She was pleased with herself that, quite by accident, she did a somersault under the water. She's got skills alright! Cole's trying to keep up. He's also testing out a few pair of new goggles. Somehow we lost his between swim class, the lockers, the car and home. I have a few extra pair and one that works well looks awful :) while the other one looks normal, but doesn't work as well for him. Oh well, you do what you can do.

We spent time at the pool, at the beach, back at the pool and then inside to clean up before dinner. Another gorgeous day is in the books and we are lovin' every minute of it!

O'ahu - Days 1 & 2

With the cold, gray weather continuing and not too much of the pretty, white fluffy snow that we love to look at, we decided it was time to head out of town. We chose O'ahu this time. We had a blast last year and love how easy it is to get everywhere from our hotel, even without a car. We stayed right on Waikiki Beach and had a fabulous trip.

Reagan and Cole are awesome travelers. They know the drill, they are quiet and don't kick the seats in front of them. They are polite to the flight crew and love to get their choice of drinks and snacks. With each of them having an iPad to watch, new coloring books, and some color wonder kits, we were set for anything. They grab their headphones - sometimes watch together - and they are good to go. (One lady boarding the plane said it looked like an Apple commercial - Steve on his MacBook, me on my iPod and each of the kids on their iPads - funny!) We had an afternoon flight - which made my morning a lot easier - but it got us into Hawaii after 10pm. It was sort of a bummer since we always want to head right to the beach. Not this trip - we hit the sack, since our bodies thought it was the middle of the night.

No problem, we were up the next morning at 5 something and ready to go. Since it was Sunday, we checked out churches and went to Sacrament Meeting. It ended up being at the Honolulu Stake Tabernacle. It was a huge building and even though there were quite a few families, it seemed like it was nearly empty, just because there was so much space to fill. I got a kick out of the speakers saying "Aloha" to the crowd and the crowd yelling back "Aloha". It just didn't seem quite as reverent when you are yelling in the chapel, but, when in Rome.... er Hawaii.

After church, we picked up some groceries to stock our room with and we headed back to the hotel. Reagan and Cole couldn't wait to get outside, so, we went to the pool. We hit the water slide (they still make you wear those ridiculous floaties if you are under 12), we built sand castles, Steve and Cole did some karate on the beach and we soaked up the sun. By 7pm, Reagan and Cole were spent and we had an early bedtime. We are loving the sun, the warm weather and being able to be together all day long!

A Jib Jab Tradition

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Karate?

Several friends and family members have their boys in karate and Cole said he wanted to try it as well. So, we took him in April for a private "lesson". Well, the lesson didn't go very well. For some reason, he "froze up" and wouldn't let go of my leg. The instructor suggested we wait until Cole was 4 and give it another shot. Well, he has been so excited to do it and I, finally, got around to setting up another lesson. Reagan joined in for moral support and they had a great time. They had to stand at attention, say "yes sir" when addressed, kick and hit and yell "hi-yah!" when doing so. The instructor said that the first 3 rules they have to learn about karate are: 1) always do what your parents say, 2) keep your room clean, and 3) don't fight with your siblings. Can I just say "I LOVE KARATE!!!" Yes, those are rules I can come to love!

Looks like Cole will be doing karate in the future and Reagan may even want to join in. We'll see, but for now, we're practicing on following the rules of karate..... yeah!

Christmas Sing

Cole's preschool has a Christmas Sing every year. We missed one year of Reagan's when she was in preschool, but we were there for one year. Cole has been practicing his songs and will tell me when we are in the car and he hears a song that is part of his program. They recited a Christmas poem, they sang several songs (many were Christmas songs) and they had a special visitor ... Santa!!! Cole did great - he sang well, he paid attention to his teachers and he was dang cute! Shannon came to watch (poor Rachel was fighting with a furnace) and helped us take some pics.

Way to go Cole - you are awesome!!!

RS Christmas Party - The Gift of Christmas

As I am the leader of the Relief Society Nights, the pressure was on to create a great Christmas Party. Some years, we see ladies that don't come to church all year. Some years, we see ladies who aren't members of our faith and who are coming to meet their neighbors. Last year, they had a record 68 ladies! So, I knew we wanted it to be great.

When our committee met to plan it, we decided that the ladies in the ward/neighborhood had enough to do this time of year, so, rather than having sign up sheets, we decided only the committee would be bringing food. We knew we wanted a dinner and we knew we wanted some sort of activity, but not something cheesy or dumb (ie white elephant). We decided to have it at the Tree's home (they have a gorgeous house) and, with Jennifer's help, we decided to serve Cafe Rio shredded chicken salads. Jenn had all the recipes - chicken, tomatillo dressing, pico de gallo, beans, rice .... everything! She even told me where to get the tin containers that Cafe Rio serves them in. The food was fabulous - everybody kept saying how much it tasted like Cafe Rio. Then, for dessert, we served chocolate cake rolls with peppermint ice cream inside and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Finally, we had a wassel with carmel syrup and whipped cream ...... YUM!

The entertainment was another challenge for me. I knew we wanted something spiritual, but not over the top. I knew we wanted something about Christmas, but I didn't know what. My poor friend/2nd mother/reliable committee member, etc. Kathy Bowman. I'm not sure how many times I called her to talk about food, program, recipes, etc. I loved the theme she came up with: The Gift of Christmas. That was perfect because Christmas really is the gift. She came up with the idea of decorating all the tables, etc with wrapped presents. She is my "go to gal" in this calling. How lucky I am to have her on the committee. She offered to do most of the shopping, much of the cooking and she kept reminding me to delegate. She said "you need to be calm. You will have enough to do that day - you don't need to be cooking." Boy was she right. I love her tons! It all came together wonderfully. We had 53 ladies - not the 68 of last year, but it was perfect!

As for the program, for weeks I had been trying to figure out what to do. About a week before, my friend Sally (also my institute teacher) came into my mind and I remembered a lesson she gave in years past about that first Christmas night. She taught New Testament at BYU and she gave us more detail than I had ever heard about the traditions and customs at the time of Christ's birth. I asked her if she would give us part of that lesson again. She agreed and I'm so glad she did. Her program was great! I remembered her telling us that Bethlehem was such a small village that it was quite unlikely that there was an "inn" in the way we picture it - a commercial residence. More likely, Joseph's extended family simply didn't have room for the couple. I asked why someone wouldn't have given up their room for a very pregnant family member. She responded that it was a very communal living situation, so, for them to be in the stable may have been the most private situation for them. She supposes that Mary had women relatives or a midwife with her to assist in the birth and told us of the custom of squatting to deliver a baby at that time. Also - this was my favorite part - we know that the Christ child was wrapped in swaddling clothes. I had always thought of these as rags for some reason. In reality, they are special pieces of cloth, wrought with tradition and meaning. During a couple's engagement, one of the "duties" of the groom is to build the couple a house - usually an addition to his father's house. He goes about building and it is "done" when his father says so. (Don't you love that significance?) One of the bride's "duties" is to embroider swaddling bands. They are 6 to 8 feet long and on one end, there is embroidered the groom's genealogy and on the other end, there is embroidered the bride's genealogy. Both sides of the bands are exactly the same so as to signify being the same inside and out. During the marriage ceremony, the couple grasps hands and the person performing the ceremony (the Rabbi?) wraps the bands around their hands signifying that they come from both of these sets of ancestors and now are one. They are treasured and kept safe as they have so much meaning for the couple. Then, when they have their child, the child is wrapped (in a very specific way) with the swaddling bands and presented to the father. Once the father takes the child into his arms (usually from the midwife and having been swaddled), it is the same as signing the birth certificate - the father is accepting the child as his own in all, legal, familial, etc. manners.

I hope I remembered all those details correctly - but how wonderful! I loved hearing about that. I loved being able to more closely picture that night in my mind and I loved hearing about the special meaning of the swaddling bands. After Sally's presentation (and what an overachiever she is - she actually made some swaddling bands and brought them with a baby doll and showed us how the child is wrapped), we had our sweet Kimberly (with a gorgeous voice and a 5 month prego belly) sing Silent Night accompanied by a violin. She sang the first 2 verses and all the ladies joined in to sing the 3rd verse. The spirit was palpable and I was so grateful to Kathy and to everyone else who helped us have a great RS Christmas Party!!

Lights at Temple Square

We like to make a trip to Temple Square each year to see the gorgeous Christmas Lights. We started out at dusk by having dinner at the Garden Restaurant where we could see the sun set and see the beautiful lights appearing more visible as darkness came on. Then, we bundled up and headed out to walk all around the Temple, all around the Visitor's Centers and all around the Tabernacle. The Nativity scene and recording was great and seeing the Christus is always inspirational. We love to visit Temple Square - especially this time of year!

Festival of Trees

Several ladies in our ward are very.... VERY ... involved in the Festival of Trees. As a ward, we are usually involved in some way or another with helping Festival. Edyth Hansen, our former RS President, was on the Festival Board for years. She passed away last week. Having already signed up to volunteer for one day, I couldn't help but think of Edyth as I roamed through the Southtowne Expo Center, looking at the beautiful trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, quilts and gifts that had been donated and would be sold to benefit Primary Children's Medical Center. As I looked at the many quilts that had been donated, I kept seeing the names of our friends. Our ward/neighborhood quilt group of 25 or so regular participants created something like 120 quilts to be sold at festival. I later learned that those quilts and the other little gifts created by our ward members brought in over $48,000 for Festival. Way to go ladies!!!!

For my assignment, I was asked to stand right by a "security" tree. It was a tree that was donated with an accompanying player piano. It was beautiful. So, rather than walking up and down an entire aisle, making sure no one broke or took anything, I was asked to stand right by this piano and tree. It was an honor. The tree was in memory of a beautiful 16 year old girl who was killed in an accident. She was riding with her grandparents and a cousin as they traveled to a family reunion. She was killed and the cousin was injured in the car accident. She played volleyball for her West Jordan High School. She also loved to play the piano, taught piano lessons and had played at the Festival of Trees for the past 5 years. Her mother came over at one point to make sure the piano had been turned on.

What a pleasure to meet her and talk to her. I learned from another family member that the tree/piano combination had brought in over $40,000. The tree was decorated in purple, white and black and was exquisite! The glass ornaments were decorated with feathers, ribbons, and glitter. There were paper ornaments made from music sheet paper. The tree skirt was a gorgeous purple, white and black quilt. It was beautiful. So many people who came by, and whom I was able to speak with, remembered reading or hearing about the accident. Everyone stopped and looked at that beautiful tree.

Later that afternoon, when I picked Reagan up from school, she, Cole and I returned to the festival to see the beautiful trees there. Cole picked out a University of Utah tree that he thought Daddy would like.

Reagan found many pink, princess, or fairy trees that she could admire and we saw some friends and had a little treat.

Best of all, we saw the tree that our friend Danna (and some other ladies) made for our sweet Edyth.

One more year of Festival is now in the books and we are thrilled to have contributed, although it was in a very small way.