Dance, Girlfriends, and More Snow!

Taylors dance recital was last night...woo-hoo! She did such a good job. It made me want to join her dance group just so I could wear cute, tight leather pants too!

It has been snowing ridiculous amounts of snow and so instead of trudging back home after the rehearsal, I stayed at the school and let the kids run and run and run in the school gymnasium.

All of a sudden, Blakey is going through an "I Love Girls and want to chase them EVERYWHERE" phase. Seriously! Who knew this was coming? At the school he met, and fell in love with little Emma. He chased her and chased her and hugged her and hugged her and when it was time to go he would not let go of her! He cried for her all the way out of the school.

Look at that sad face!
It continued to snow ALL NIGHT LONG! Luckily, it stopped long enough to build our first snowman! I forgot how hard it was to roll snow balls in the snow, but it was worth it!
And, "Ta Da" Luke is so proud!!

Wii Giveaway

With all of the snow we have been receiving, we have been spending A LOT of time indoors! We've made lots of cookies, colored lots of pictures, and watched lots and lots of movies....

Then, I heard Amber over at Mile High Mamas is giving away a Wii and Wii Fit!

Having one would definitely make the winter more bearable, don't you think?

If you want to enter click here!

I hope I win.... because I would much rather be doing this...

Then and Now

It's hard to believe last year at this time we were living in warm, sunny San Diego! Now that it is snowing and FREEZING cold, I am in complete culture shock!!
Right now I am missing:

• The Beach
• Capris and Flip Flops
• Good Mexican Food
• A warm day at the park hanging out with friends
• Christmas Tree Lane

Right now I am greatly disliking:

• 32 degrees with a wind-chill factor of 15 or less
• Icy roads
• Snowy roads and hills that my 2-wheel drive car cannot climb
• The fact that it takes almost 10 minutes, per child, to get dressed to go outside
• Ice cold toilet seats and bed sheets
• Scraping ice and snow off the windshield
  

However, I am totally LOVING:

• That it (for once in 6 years) is actually really beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!
• Watching my babies love the snow and playing in it
• Kissing their rosy cheeks after coming in from the cold
• Warm blankets, socks, and hot chocolate
• Cute, festive storybook and Christmas lights parades in town

It's amazing how much life can change in a year...this year was a drastic one...can I move back now, please?!

Adventures

Uncle Curtis warmed up the helicopter yesterday and took us all for a ride. Taylor, Blake, and myself all got to go....here we are strapping in and getting ready to take off.
Now, the pictures are all jumbled and out of order...but here we are safely landing and putting our feet on the ground.
Luke and Devon didn't ride. Devon was too nervous and since Luke has had the flu, I couldn't imagine anything worse than throw-up--especially in a confined space hundreds of feet above the ground...so he didn't go, but he had a blast watching the helicopter take off and land.
Here we are coming in for a landing...whew! Look at that sunset!
These are the first two pictures of us taking off. Neither Taylor or Blake screamed...they loved it! Blake kept waving out the window. I, on the other hand, was okay until we were in the air. It is way different looking out the window of a helicopter than an airplane because the window goes all the way to the floor...it takes your breath away!
Luckily, for me, since the kids were with me, Curtis spared me of his dare devil ride! My stomach was queasy enough as it was. The canyons were beautiful and the ride was awesome! Thanks Curtis!

A Reason for the Season

Dear friend in need of a coat,

I would like to personally thank you for so kindly taking my daughters brand new coat and leaving her without one. Each day the weather has been getting colder and colder. My daughter was sad, however, I promised her we would buy her a new coat after school.

It's not every day you attend a church function (Christmas church function that is), hang your coat on the donation (oops, I mean)/coat rack and return to find it missing...gone!

Perhaps it was taken by mistake. Perhaps you and your family are in greater need of a new coat at this time. Whatever your circumstances may be...the coat is yours and I hope it serves you well this winter.

It is cold today and snowing. I thought of you. My plan was to go to town to buy my daughter a new coat. To much surprise, a friend, aware of her newly donated coat, bought her a new one and dropped it off at our house. I was overwhelmed by her compassion and kindness. It softened my heart and made me realize there are so many more important things in life than a coat. A coat is just a coat and can be replaced, but human compassion, love, and kindness will last forever!

It's not every day I get to teach my children so many different important life-lessons. Through this experience I have been able to teach them the importance of being honest, compassionate, kind, forgiving, giving service, and much, much more! I thank you for that! My 4-year old is convinced it "could not have been an adult because they know better than that." Isn't child-like innocence a wonderful thing?

Please. Enjoy the coat. It's yours. I hope you like it and I hope it keeps you warm.

Sincerely and Merry Christmas,

Kimberly

All I Want for Christmas...

Okay, so last night was the annual church Christmas party. Since it was Sunday dress, I wanted to snap some quick pictures of the kids in front of the tree.

I used all kinds of bribery to get them to sit, smile, pose, hold still, etc.

When I finally pulled out the M&M's, Blake would only sit still long enough to chew his candy and then ask for another.

Why is this always such a feat?

Seriously! What's the deal with all the open mouths, hands on the face or in the air, and so on?

I just wanted 5 minutes with a few good pictures...is that too much to ask? Geez!

Christmases Past

A couple of nights ago we set up the Christmas tree, turned on our favorite Christmas tunes, and watched the kids decorate the tree.

Watching them decorate the tree reminded me of how my dad would always get a little teary as he lovingly watched my brother and sister and I decorate the tree.

Since then I have been reflecting on Christmases past and remembering the ones that have been extra special and meant the most in my life.

The picture above is of Devon and I at Temple Square, in Salt Lake, seven years ago. I was approximately 22 (or so) weeks pregnant with our daughter Taylor.

Being pregnant at Christmastime, to me, is such a magical experience. It made the whole nativity story more emotional and meaningful to me. I can't imagine riding on a donkey pregnant, sleeping in a barn pregnant, or delivering a baby in a barn among farm animals...amazing!

The gift of life is a miracle in itself! Now, seven years later, I feel so blessed to have three little ones of my own--they are so precious! Yes, they all have their quirks, at times, but every time I look at their tiny hands, sweet faces, and interact with their fun personalities, I am reminded, especially at Christmastime, how blessed I am!