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25.12.09

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!

These pictures are out of order but oh well.

Merry Christmas everyone.

This year we chose to open gifts on Christmas Eve. I made dinner, and Joe's parents came up to join us which the kids just LOVED. Dinner was very yummy and the kids loved everything they got.
Danny got a big floor pad and some special crayons, some new jammies and socks. He was very happy with his haul. In fact, I think he colored on almost every page last night.

Emma wasn't content with getting only one thing in the picture, she had to show off everything. She got a backpack full of art supplies, a big pack of construction paper, socks, and new undies. She has declared that when she grows up she is going to be a professional artist. This girl lives to draw, paint, whatever she can.
Porter got new socks, undies, and of course BLOCKS!!! This boy builds with legos ALL day long. I wish that was an exaggeration, but it really isn't. He popped that thing open and went to town. He was alot happier than last year.
Hyrum got an ipod (actually he got mom's old one, since mom got an iphone for Christmas this year) with itunes gift card, undies, and socks. He hasn't stopped listening to the music since. In fact, I've finally become the mom that has to yell, "turn your music down!!!" My theory is if I can hear it out your headphones when I'm in the other room, it's too freaking loud!! Dork, woke me up this morning singing along to his music in his room at 6:30 this morning. Oh well, guess that means he's pretty happy with his gifts this year.
They fought all day long, but when it comes to gift time, they love one another.
Presents under the tree. We really tried to reduce Christmas this year, and for once, I actually stayed on budget. That in and of itself was a Christmas miracle.

A few days before, the kids got to open presents from Oma and Opa. Hyrum of course got a Thomas movie, that he was VERY happy about.
Porter got Tom and Jerry, his favorite cartoon ever. I think this is the movie that has been watched the most since it was received.
Emma got the third season of Scooby-Doo, which she was very thrilled about.
Dan got "Up." We had to watch this one as soon as he opened it.
All four. Yup, Porter is building away, and Hyrum is sporting his newest obsession--chess!! I sure love these kids!!!

17.12.09

Joe's Work Christmas Party





Emma sure had fun. She just. keeps collecting lays. Silly goose. Yummy food, but I'm not feeling well so I can't wait to go home. At least all the kids have had fun. Danny especially loved the bouncy house.


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13.12.09

Putting Up the Tree

Well we finally put up the tree. Yes, I know, most everyone I know has had theirs up for weeks, but me, I can't stand to do it right after Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is like my most favoritest holidays, and quite frankly, I really hate Christmas. I don't even enjoy that I have to endure two weeks of "DON'T TOUCH THE TREE!!!!!" All day long. I hate that everyone is determined to get the biggest and best gifts for everyone just so they can prove how much they "love" so and so. If more people truly revealed in the "spirit" of Christmas, perhaps I could get my enthusiasm back, but I digress.

This is for my kids, because they are what matter most.

Joe and I put it in the stand and the kids decorated. Can you tell?? Of course, at the rate Dan is going on breaking ornaments, it will be bare by Christmas, but oh well.
They were so proud of themselves and their tree. I love these kids. May we all revel in the spirit of Christmas just like innocent children. Merry Christmas.

9.12.09

The English Language

Okay, I find English humor to be very funny. Afterall, I was an English major and there is nothing more ridiculous than the English language. This was posted on a friend's Facebook status, and it was just too funny not to record for posterity.

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility...

as part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k".. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter. ... See More

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling.

Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru.

Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

8.12.09

Dan's 2 Year Well-Baby Appointment


So the squirt is good and healthy, aside from a really bad case of eczema--for which he is now on four different medications. He weighs in at 27.8 lbs and is 33 inches tall. So about the 20% for height and the 50% for weight. Yup, short and fat!!! But oh so cute. He also got his H1N1 shot. He was a very good boy for all of it. He loves going to the doctor and getting all that attention.

6.12.09

Ogden Christmas Village

Just so you know, bad idea to be outside when it is 10 degrees out and the wind is whipping up a storm, especially if you don't own a nice thick winter coat (that would be me), and let's face it, during the day in Utah, even in the winter a thick sweatshirt is fine for running to the car and going places. Generally I don't canter about outside, but the kids have been begging to go and so we went. It was really pretty and a lot of fun besides, but we will have to go back when it is a little warmer and Santa is there for them to see.
Dad and his little ones. Emma was so cold and we had to take Dan out of the stroller because it was colder in there for him then he was running around, so Porter stole his seat.
Mom freezing her butt off. Hyrum thought it appropriate to block his sister from the picture.
So you are subjected to two pictures with me in them so that you can see Emma. Can you tell I'm freezing??

1.12.09

November Books Read

This month was great, and I got to read alot of books I really enjoyed.

I finished the Mysterious Benedict Society Series. I really enjoyed this series. No magic involved, not really. Only the power of exceptional minds. I really enjoyed as these children learned that being smart individually gave them an advantage against most, but it wasn't until they learned how to truly work together that they found their real potential. Just a really good story.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey - 440
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma - 391

Then I needed a break from new stuff and since the new movie was coming out, I reread the Twilight Series. I love this series for very personal reasons, that don't need to be put here. It's sufficient to say that when I'm really bogged down in crap, I enjoy reading these.

Twilight - 498
New Moon - 563
Eclipse - 629
Breaking Dawn - 754

It's been a long time coming, and I guess I've finally just figured I have nothing to loose anymore, but I am on a road to put into words the things that I believe. I've always inherently had a problem with religion, a problem I've never really been able to find the right words to express, not exactly anyway. The best way I can put it is to say that all "organized religions" place everything in a box and hand it out saying, "here, this is truth. It's all contained here. Put aside logic, embrace faith, listen to this or that higher power, they know more than you. Sure you can question for yourself, but if you find an answer that is contrary to what is in this box then you are merely being influenced by 'Evil.'" I believe truth is in all of us, if we just have the forthwith and the strength to seek after it, and then to not be afraid to pursue those things we know to be right. It's just easier to be told and follow, then to truly seek. Anyway, in this seeking, I've decided to learn as much about all other "religions"/belief systems that I can. I began with Wicca because it is something that I've always wanted to learn more about, so you will probably find that I read more on the subject. I really believe that much of what they believe is truth; my main problem is that pledging yourself to Wicca, you must first caste off your former religion. I find that personally offensive, because I believe that we do not have to caste off the past in order to embrace the future. No matter how much we claim to want to change our own pasts (and I don't think I know of a single person who doesn't wish they could change something), then we wouldn't be who we are today. There will always be something we wish we could change, but it is only in truly embracing who we have been, that we can be what we want to be.

Wicca 101 - 213

The next book by Steve Berry, I read because Joe had read it in Afghanistan and thought I would enjoy it. I really enjoyed the history it contained. This is a book alot like Dan Brown writes. I will give Berry that he is not arrogant in the way that he writes like Brown, but there are things about their characters that just really get on my nerves. I guess I get frustrated because of how I read. I literally place myself in whatever I read. I live it, I expound on everything--creating my own story lines from that current book. I've always read that way. I don't know how to do it any other way, so when I am irritated with a character, I get very irritated. It's like that person is truly a living, breathing, being and not just a figment of someone's imagination that does what he does because that's the way it's written. If you like Dan Brown, you'd enjoy this book, we'll leave it at that. If you kind of like Dan Brown but find him offensive, I think you would enjoy this book better.

The Templar Legacy - 480

This would be another "religious exploration" book for me. It SUCKED!! Leave it at that. (But at least it only took an hour to read)

The Sixth Book of Moses and the Seventh Book of Moses - 101

The next series by James Owen, is one that's been on my wish list for awhile. It was nice to finally get to read them, especially because I absolutely LOVED them!!! I was truly amazed at how they were put together. The skill and the knowledge base that it took this author to write this was exceptional and extraordinary. It takes famous authors, places them as caretakers of an "imaginary geography," an atlas of maps of places that apart but part of our world all the same. In this world, they find the seeds for much of what they will write throughout their lives--in essence "fictionalizing" non-fiction so that the world doesn't find out too much but needing a way to express all they have lived. The amount of authors involved is extensive, and in that I find myself wholly impressed. The fact that the book in and of itself is a really great story only makes it better.

Here, There Be Dragons - 324
The Search for the Red Dragon - 368
The Indigo King - 372
The Shadow Dragons - 414

**Now, as always if you have any questions, just ask. If I don't have your email, put it down so that I can respond to you personally. And Happy Reading!!!

Total for November - 5547 pages
Total for 2009 - 38,241 pages