Now That The Christmas Rush Is Through....

I can sit down and highlight the month. I already blogged about our Candlelight Christmas experience, but I just wanted to post a few of the other things we did throughout the month.

HAND DIPPED CHOCOLATES















Me and my sisters dip chocolates every year. It's been a tradition in our family since we were knee high to the ants! The kids anticipate this event every year, just as we did when we were little! They love to gather round the table and watch us make and roll fondant and then hand dip them. They take turns licking the spoons and sampling the chocolates when they dry.













I also make caramel cashew logs!! They are SO yummy and literally IRRESISTIBLE. Once you start eating them, you cannot stop :)



THREW A SURPRISE LUAU BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR MY NIECE, SHANI'S SWEET 16






Picture props







and decorations

I hired a guy from my ward to DJ. They were dancing to "Every Time We Touch"





Macarena



The Limbo.....




......how low can you go?

And many, many more. They all had a BLAST!!!

Make a SWEET 16 wish!

AWESOME FRIENDS

and FAMILY

shared her special day!!

CHRISTMAS EVE WITH CHRIS' FAMILY





Jordan and Corbin




Spencer and Dick



Dylan, Todd, Anthony and Landon



April, Chris and Corie



Oma and Alexander







Lisa, Shanese and Emmy


Last time we did a Nativity, Emmy was baby Jesus!







Nice disguise :)










CHRISTMAS MORNING





We woke up to about a foot of snow! (It started snowing around 9 p.m. Christmas Eve) I'll bet Santa was grateful to have Rudolph :)




A WHITE Christmas! How DREAMY.





Dylan said, "It's just like on Home Alone when it snowed on Christmas morning!"


Waiting so very patiently for sleepy head dad to get out of bed!!!






I had Todd convinced that there was NO WAY he was getting an IPod Nano!! Hehehehe....sooooo fun to be devious ;P






Emmy was WAY TOO practical for a 9 year old! She BEGGED for new stuff to decorate her room!




All Dylan could think about was getting a padlock with a key, NOT a combination! If that had been the ONLY thing he got, he would've been perfectly happy. Nice to enjoy the simplicity while it lasts!!!





Landon FINALLY has his own DS! Now he doesn't have to wait for the others to share theirs.

WOW!! No wonder I'm WORN OUT and looking forward to a quiet week at home!! Busy, busy month, but wouldn't trade it for the world. Like I've said a MILLION times, this time of year is all about FAMILY! We've been trying so hard to make it to Temple Square, but things just haven't worked out. First we had a bunch of sick family members and then the snow was to scary for everyone to drive in and we decided it wasn't worth the risk of injury! So now, we're shooting for Sunday night. Grandma Saunders just flew in to town tonight, so hopefully, knock on wood, she'll get to see the lights with us.

I just want to tell all of my loved ones how much I love them and how blessed I feel to have them in my life. You're all so great and a very important part of me. You are what makes my world ROCK! THANKS for being who you are and for loving me. What more could a girl ask for?

Candlelight Christmas

Tuesday night, with my sister and her family, we took our kids to This Is The Place for the Candlelight Christmas experience. It was worth every penny we spent for admission. It was so neat to see Christmas as it was in a simpler time. We read all the time about all the sacrifices and hardships the pioneers endured, but to actually see how they lived and what they did for fun really drove it home for me.

There was a fun train ride that took you to different parts of the village. If you go, dress warm with thermals, hats and gloves....it's FRIGID up there at the mouth of the canyon!! Our first stop, we gathered around a big fire to get warm. It was really quite cozy! Each house or building we went in had REAL people dressed up as pioneers who talked about different things. We went into Deseret News and were able to see how papers were printed on a press. They gave the kids a copy of what the first commercialized Christmas card looked like. At the end, there is an AWESOME display where you can go see Father Christmas in his sleigh up on the rooftop of ZCMI! There were even REAL reindeer for the kids to see. I won't bore you with the rest of the details, but I would STRONGLY encourage all of you who read this (who live in Utah) to take your families to this. Weeknights are the best when the crowds are small and you can actually go inside and enjoy the ambiance of each little house while the kids do their craft. We were told that weekends are crazy and crowded....so avoid them if possible.

It was very humbling to walk into these teeny tiny houses, in one case, a one room house, and see how the pioneers lived. There were plenty of fun activities for the kids to do - mostly by candlelight. I heard a few comments about how hard it was to see what they were doing. There were only a few buildings with electricity. It was interesting to hear the kids get excited because there was "real" light. They have NO CLUE how easy we have it now days. I think so often, we take the simple, everyday things in life for granted - like our electricity and our great, big, everyone-has-their-own-bedroom, heated homes. We get so caught up in wanting this or that because what we have isn't good enough.


I hope you enjoy the pictures i tried to take. I didn't even think about taking my tripod with me, so the pictures are blurry, but at least you get the idea! This is probably the funnest (is that even a real word?) take on Christmas I've experienced in a long time. It brought back so many happy, fun, loving memories of being at the Lion House with my grandparents and all of my aunts, uncles and cousins for our family Christmas party. There's something about the big hearth, glowing fire and family that really strikes a tender chord inside my heart.


May we all find the happiness this time of year brings as we gather with our families to celebrate the birth of our Savior, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. God bless each and every one of you this holiday season.

Todd is 12!!

This past week has been so CRAZY and BUSY! I seem to say that a lot now days, but it's true. I'm jumping for joy that it's Friday and I can have a few days of family time.

My sweet, kind, loving, handsome Todd turned 12 last Saturday! He is such a joy in our family. From the day he was born, he's brought such a special spirit into our home. I will never forget the day we brought him home from the hospital. The spirit was so palpable, like nothing I'd ever felt before. Chris looked at me and said, "So this is what true happiness feels like." I have never forgotten that. It was such a tender moment in time.

Todd was born in Seoul, South Korea. I tell ya what, that was an outrageous experience. If you're ever interested in hearing the story, ask me, it's too long to write here. If you've been reading my blog, you will have read the "Korea" entry already. So I won't bore you with it again. If you haven't read it, go find it!

It's been an AMAZING 12 years with our Toddy Bear. I've had the priviledge of watching him grow and mature into a fine young man. He has made so much spiritual growth over the past year. I'm amazed at his knowledge of the gospel and his recognition of the spirit at such a tender age.

It all started a little more than a year ago when My parents were preparing to go on a mission. My dad called me and asked if I thought Todd would sing (with his cousin Austin, who is the same age) at his farewell. I kinda chuckled and told my dad I'd ask, not really thinking he would. Todd has always been a quiet, shy kid. I honestly couldn't see him getting up in front of a congregation and singing. But I talked to him about and told him how much it would mean to grandma and grandpa if he'd do this. He reluctantly agreed, only if Austin would for sure participate. It was neat to see them find courage in each other to do this. They practiced and practiced the song my dad requested, which was "Bring The World His Truth" aka "Army of Heleman". I could hardly listen to them sing without getting teary - but would you expect anything less from me? I don't think so. Everything makes me cry!

On November 28, 2007, Todd and Austin were the first to sing after the sacrament had been administered. Thankfully, it was planned that way so the boys wouldn't have to sit through the talks and be nervous the whole hour! They got up and sang that song with so much ferver and confidence that there ws not a dry eye in that congregation....especially not mine. I think I cried a river :)

Just a couple of months after that experience, I was in the kitchen making dinner one night and Todd came in. He started talking to me about how whenever he thinks about that song or hears it, he gets this really happy feeling inside that makes him want to cry. He was a little confused about what he was feeling. I told him that he was feeling the Holy Ghost and explained to him that he was crying happy tears. A light bulb turned on and he said, "Oooooooh, so that's why people cry when they bear their testimony! It's not because they're sad." The conversation went on for a little while longer and I was so grateful for the opportunity I had to talk to him about the Holy Ghost. About an hour or so later, as we were sitting around the table for dinner, I noticed that Todd's eyes were welling up with tears. He held it back pretty good, but finally had to get up and go to the bathroom. He was gone for quite some time and not knowing what was going on, Chris was getting impatient, wanting him to come finish his dinner. I didn't want him to be yanked out of his spiritual moment, so I told Chris about our conversation and what Todd was feeling. Sure enough, when Todd finally emerged, his eyes were red and swollen. I didn't say anything to him. I just smiled. Now he's just like me and can't hear that song without crying.

I also wrote about in a previous post ("On A Mission"), about Todd being impacted by his big brother preparing for his mission. As a parent, it's an amazing thing to watch your children grow in the gospel. All of those Sunday's, when I had restless, noisy kids and thought, "Why am I even here?" finally have meaning. This is my payoff!! And a rich one it has been so far!! I am so blessed!

I love you so much, Toddy! You have always been such a good boy. You are so kind to those around you. You'll never know how much that means to your friends and even their parents. People really do notice. I am so proud that you stand tall and aren't afraid to be yourself, to lead by example, to be respectful and to love unconditionally. I am so PROUD and truly BLESSED to be your mother.

My Other Tree Is Up!!

I don't always post twice in the same day, but today I did. So if you haven't read my blog lately, make sure you read the entry previous to this one. We finally got our first letter from CC since he went into the MTC!!

Anyway, I just finished decorating my living room and thought I'd post a picture. It's so cozy. This is where I sit at night and unwind. It's the one room in the house that is ALWAYS clean and I can go to to escape! I just love it!! Yes, I am pretty mental, having 2 Christmas trees upstairs, I know, but I can't imagine not putting both of them up. They are two completely different trees. I'll post another picture of this one when I take a picture of it during the day. It's more formal than my other one.

The kids love helping me set up the nativity and it always makes for a good photo op. I always find that they love to ask questions and talk about the birth of Christ as we do this - a great opportunity to teach them that Christmas isn't just about Santa and presents. I think the younger ones need to be reminded of this often. Their innocence is so sweet and touches my heart on a daily basis - especially when I see Landon sitting next to the table, talking to baby Jesus about how special he is. I must be getting through :)

IT CAME!!! IT CAME!!!

YAY!!! We FINALLY got our first letter from CC since he went into the MTC. We have been on pins and needles waiting to hear from him. It's been a hard wait because we can't call him. Anyway, I just thought I'd share his letter with everyone. NOTHING brings more joy to a parent than to watch your children learn, grow and mature in the gospel and to read letters like this one:

my time is limited so i may not be using the best grammar and punctuation. how is everyone doing? i sent a letter out either yesterday, or the day before, im not entirely sure. the days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days. ill be sitting in class and ill say 'hey remember yesterday when...' and a missionary will say 'that was this morning!' its been a blast so far. at the moment, im sitting at the computer, waiting for laundry to get done, and eating a salad with no utensils because a fellow missionary broke my fork. on purpose.

the mtc is what you make of it. ive had days that were very spiritual, and days that were not so spiritual. the rules make sense!

this morning, i went to the temple and i've felt better and more spiritual than i have since i went the first time.tay have had something to do with the fact that we walked very fast to the temple because it was cold, and i wasn't fighting fatigue during the ceremony (the entire time anyways). Going to the temple awake and alert is the way to go!

my testimony has been greatly strengethened these past few weeks, and i cannot wait to get out into the field. i've realized now more than ever that we should constantly be trying to change and improve - treating every sacrament meeting like it's our baptism. we should be doing all of the things (and more) we ask of our investigators. i know this is God's work and he does help, bless, and provide comfort and prosperity to His children, especially those who seek Him earnestly. prayers may not always be answered in the way we want, which has been the cause of much of my frustration, but they will be answered and we will be delivered. i know that Jesus is the Christ and that He lives, and He is at the head of this church. He and His Father in Heaven love us all and know us by name. All of the Holy Scriptures - the Book of Mormon especially - will improve our behavior and our lives and bring us closer to God. I says these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Love you guys! Write back!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!!!!

Yes, yes, yes, we have decorated for Christmas. This is the norm for me. I have so many decorations and they take so long to put up that I decided a few years ago to decorate early. We enjoyed it so much that we've just made it tradition to do it the week or so before Thanksgiving. My house is so cozy and the spirit of the season is in the air. I LOVE IT!! So, call me what you will, but for us in the Morgan house, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all rolled up in one special holiday of family togetherness!

We have a special "Morgan Mix" CD that we listen to EVERY holiday season. It's a compilation of Christmas songs that Chris' dad put together on tape when Chris was just a small boy. He loved this compilation of songs so much that when he got older, he made a list of each and every song on the tape, which included the name of the song, the name album, the record label and the catalog number of the album. He saved that list for years, making sure it was safe and sound with him during each move he made after he left home in 1988. In November of 2004, we pulled out the old tape of The Morgan Mix to listen to. It was old and sounded like CRAP! Chris pulled out his list, that surprisingly, was still complete and decided he was going to remake the album on CD. It became a quest to find the EXACT album and song. After a lot of Media Play runs, internet searches and CD purchases, we were only without 2 songs. We never did find those two cd's, but Chris' dad recorded them from his vinyl LP's and Chris digitally enhanced them to remove the crackles and pops. He re-compiled The Morgan Mix and man did it sound SWEET!! You have NO IDEA how much that compilation means to us. It just isn't Christmas without it. Our kids absolutely LOVE it and I love that it is something we can pass down from generation to generation. I'm hoping to put a few of the songs on my blog, but I don't know if I can. I'll have Chris try to figure something out. Anyway....we put that CD on decorated the tree, as we do EVERY year. The kids were so giddy and excited. It made me smile as I watched them help decorate. My heart overflowed with pure JOY!

My sisters and I have started making fondant for our chocolates this year. We're going to finish up the last of it this Saturday and then start dipping after Thanksgiving. I'm so excited. This tradition brings back so many memories of being a small child, like my own kids are now, and watching my parents and grandparents dip chocolates. We'd go into my mom and dad's room, where the window was open so the chocolates would set up, and try to sneak one. We could NEVER get passed my grandpa. That man, I swear, had eyes in the back of his head and ears that were tuned into the slightest sound of that bedroom door opening! IF we did manage to slip in the room and actually swipe a chocolate, there was ALWAYS evidence of it missing because it leaves a print on the waxed paper. NOBODY ever got away with stealing a chocolate, but it was sure fun trying!! I'll be posting pictures of the dipping later on, so stay tuned!

I REALLY love my tree, but pictures just don't do it justice. You have to see it in person. My entry way really adds to the ambiance, too. It's so cozy at night. The stockings you see are another family tradition. My grandma made mine when I was 6! She made one for EVERY member of our family that was born by December of 1978. I was really upset that she spelled my name wrong, but what do you do! I couldn't ask her to fix it, although I really wanted to back then, but it doesn't matter now. It is so special to me and I wouldn't trade it for the world. I made one for Chris when we were married and then one for each of my children as they were born. And, YES, they are stuffed FULL ( but not just with candy)!!! I LOVE to just sit in the quiet and stare at all the lights! It's a great way to unwind at the end of the day.