A visit with the Big Guy

 

We went to our ward party and what do you know, out of all the thousands of Christmas parties being held that night, Santa came to ours! And can you believe that we were lucky enough to have our camera?! As you can tell by the picture, we were all happy to see him except for Owen. That might be because we have told him once or twice that Santa was going to assign him to the naughty list. According to Owen, kids on the naughty list get underwear for Christmas. Although he is working hard to get back on the nice list, Owen may not have felt confident about where he stands with the guy in red.

A welcome reminder

I just finished a wonderful book for my book club, A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I read and loved the Kite Runner, so I knew this wasn't going to be a light read. Our book group wasn't sure about reading it for our December book because of the heavy subject matter. I am so glad we did. I think it was the perfect time to read it.

It's about two women living in Afghanistan and the hardships they endure. The thing that struck me the most was that the timeframe of their lifes was parallel to my own. When the Taliban moved in and forced women to wear burqas and forbade them from even leaving their homes without the company of a male relative, I was getting married. A woman had to give birth by C-section with out the use of sterile instruments or any kind of medication by a female surgeon wearing a burqa, at the same time I was having my first baby in a beautiful, fully equipped hospital. I thought I had a hard time!

I read most of the book on Saturday. Chris had taken the kids to Katie's baptism in Mission Viejo and I was home sick. I really got absorbed in it. I was at a point in the book where the family was so poor they were desperate for food and living in horrible conditions. I got up to get a drink and I was literally taken back by my surroundings and how lucky I was to be living in a such a nice home with so many food choices right in front of me. Things I take for granted every day! It also made me so thankful for my husband and the freedoms I enjoy in this country. People, we are so blessed!

'tis the season

We had a great Thanksgiving! We enjoyed not one, but two amazing Thanksgiving meals. Then to top it all off, our kids went home with Mimi and Grandad for a sleepover at their house! As Chris and I drove away from our last Thanksgiving meal stuffed full of good food and enjoying the peace and quiet in the car, we certainly counted our blessings!

Now we are in full Christmas mode. We climbed ladders and strung lights and I attempted to duct tape sparkly garland and snowflakes to the stucco on the house (by the way, it doesn't work I just retaped it for the bazillioneth time). At one point on Saturday, the whole family was on the roof - even Owen and the cat. I would have liked to get a pic for the blog, but I couldn't leave them up there alone to go get the camera! I'm not crazy.

Well, maybe Chris thinks I am. Every day he has come home from work to a house that looks a Christmas bomb went off, kids who have had very little supervision, no dinner and me covered in glitter. Let's just say, I get a little intense at this time of year. But, I promised myself last year, that this year we would have a simpler, more spiritual Christmas. I am publicly reminding myself of that! If anyone has any advice I'd love to hear it! My family would certainly appreciate it!

Not just a girls night

I have experienced quite a few girls' nights out in my time, but never like this. This was the one to top them all. It started with shopping ... nice! Then let's throw in a little Cheesecake Factory, better! Then the highlight of the night was going to see the So You think You Can Dance tour. I went with 6 other moms. (Sorry Shelby and Lindsay, I'll take you next time!) We were all big fans of the show (well Debbie became a fan, right?). The show was great. It was amazing to see all that incredible dancing in person.
But, it was all over too soon. We decided that we were just "crazy psycho fan" enough to wait for them behind the building. We were hoping to just catch a glimpse of them running to their buses. We got so much more! Just as we were about to give up thinking they had already left via some secret exit, out they came! We were able to meet all of the dancers and get autographs and pictures. I may be a 37 year old mom of three today, but last night I felt like I was 16! Don't be embarassed for me, I'm okay with it!

Neil, my personal favorite



even better up close!

Danny and Dominic



Bustin' a move with Sabra (so cute, sweet and tiny!)

The incredible Hok



Pasha, suave and smooth



Kameron, obviously another favorite of mine

What a fun night!

Someone's having a birthday!

This post is all about the big guy in our lives. He is having a birthday tomorrow and we want him to know how great we think he is (so great!)and how much we love him (so so so so so much!!) Happy Birthday Chris!

I like my Dad because he hugs me and he sings the good morning song. I like when he reads stories to me. I really love it when he plays Cars on the Playstation with me. Owen

The thing I like best about my dad is he is funny. He dances and sings for us and makes funny faces. He plays games with us like Monster and Poison. I love him!! Shelby

My dad plays with us a lot. He always makes us laugh when he does the running man. Thanks Dad for helping me with my math homework. He works really hard for our family. He is really smart and kind and funny. I love and appreciate my Dad! Lindsay

Thanks for spoiling all of us. We have the best life because of you! You're the hard worker, good time party guy, patient teacher, Saturday laborer and unselfish husband. We are all lucky to have you, but especially me! Happy Birthday!

Halloween Fun

Lindsay and Ashley designed their own cave girl costumes
Owen as a handsome Diego

Shelby the cutest carhop!

Jonah who learned the true meaning of Halloween this year

Ethan the magician with his buddy Diego

We had a fun party at my Mom's house this Halloween (Dad was in Turkey, so he missed out!) We went trick or treating with all of the cousins except we missed Gabe and Katie. They wanted to hit every house in the neighborhood this year. I think they did - even Owen! The amount of candy they brought in was scary!!

I took some video of all the kids. Unfortunately I did it in portrait view instead of landscape, so it is sideways. If I ever figure out how to flip it I will post it for you.

We all really missed the Keeler cousin Halloween party this year. It is true that the holiday actually did go on - but we don't want to miss it again!

Hawaii!