Thanksgiving and Christmas Parties

Several events have transpired since my last post. I will attempt to chronicle them with pictures. For Thanksgiving, Curt and I went to Cashelle and A.J.'s house. Cashelle had a grand idea that we should create a "thankful" window with her window markers. We each took turns and wrote what we were thankful for. More of our "thankful" window.

Look at how much fun the kids had writing on the kitchen window.

Four hungry little souls. Thanksgiving is so much fun!

What a cute little face! Spencer, we love you!

The table is all set and we're ready to eat!

A.J. cooked most of the meal by himself. Look at the feast we were waiting for! Thank you, A.J. It was delicious! The night before Thanksgiving, Curt and I went to "Old Dogs" with Cashelle, A.J., Madalynn, and Audrey. The boys stayed home since we went to the 9:30 show. It was so funny! I highly recommend that movie.

Now we are at the Duncan Christmas party in Manti. Spencer thought if he ignored Santa, he could worry about his present.

Jayleigh's first visit with Santa. She did pretty good. She only puckered for a second.

Madalynn telling Santa what she would like for Christmas.

Audrey having her turn. Those two girls absolutely LOVE Santa--and they are definitely NOT afraid of him!

Thomas having his chat with Santa.

Granny even got a turn. I didn't get it on camera, but Santa gave her a great big kiss--on the lips! "I saw Granny kissing Santa Claus . . . "

When BYU played Utah this year in football, BYU won. We had several Ute fans at Granny's house so after the game, us girls dressed in our BYU attire and went over to rub it in a little. Curt and A.J. went to the game with A.J.'s dad.

Now we are in St. George. Last year for Christmas, Curt and I got rooms for the whole family in Salt Lake. This year, we got rooms for two nights in St. George. We had a wonderful time! The weather didn't want to cooperate but we had a grand time anyway. Here are the kids getting ready to go swimming. Landon and Lacey had a Christmas party and didn't get there until a little later.

The three amigos getting ready to take a dip in the pool. I have to tell you a funny story about Cody--the one on the right. He is absolutely terrified of Santa. We saw him at the mall, but Cody would NOT get anywhere near him. On Saturday night, I was walking down the hall with him to go to the pool, and there was Santa in the hallway waiting to go into a party in one of the conference rooms at the hotel. Cody stopped dead in his tracks. I told him he didn't have to talk to Santa. I said, "Tell Santa bye-bye." Cody smiled and waved and said "Bye, Tanta!" Santa asked Cody what he wanted for Christmas as we hurried past. I told him to tell Santa he wanted a 4-wheeler--which is what he really wants. Cody said, "I no want no 4-wheewer." And then he said "Bye Santa" and waved as we scurried down the hall. It was hiliarious.

Two happy, sweet girls in their new swim outfits. In August or so, they were having a big sale on swimming suits at K-Mart so I bought all the kids swimming suits. There weren't any the girls' size so I got them a little short outfit to wear over their suits. Don't they look cute!

Down at the pool. We stayed at the Holiday Inn at St. George. It is an indoor pool, but it has a doorway to go to the outside pool. You can see it if you look closely. They all had a blast swimming. Thomas is a brave little stinker. He only had to be saved about six times. Here he is ready to jump in again.

The hot tub was a big hit.

Look at this humongous room. Somehow, Curt and I and Cashelle and A.J. ended up with family suites. We could have all stayed in this one room almost. If you notice the beds, they pull out of the wall so you have more living space. There was a closet area with a mirror in the center of the picture; a little kitchen with microwave, fridge, and sink; a table with four chairs; a couch that folded into a bed; and the bathroom, of course. And it had a big jetted tub.

More of the room . . . .

There was a space between the bed and the window that the kids had a fun time playing and hiding in.

This is the view from outside in the hallway. While we were there, we ran into Tammy's husband, Jeff. We chatted with both of them Friday night and Jeff again on Saturday. We didn't get a chance to see Mary Ann. She is head of housekeeping there.

The girls with Santa at the Tuacahn Theater. We went there for a Festival of Lights and a Live Nativity. But guess what? It was all canceled because of the stupid weather. I was disappointed because I was so looking forward to seeing the Live Nativity there. Oh well, maybe another time. By the way, Cody was asleep in the stroller so Amanda took the stroller over to get a picture of Cody with Santa since he is so scared of him. When she showed him the picture later, she said, "Look! I got a picture of you with Santa!" Cody just shook his head no. He was in denial that he had been that close to him.

At the Tuacahn Theater, they had one of those cutouts that you could put your head through. So, we made our own live nativity.

Another shot of our "live nativity" with Madalynn standing in front.

Madalynn and Audrey in front of the huge Christmas tree there.

I only got one family picture there. Here's Cashelle and A.J.'s family.

We told Curt to pull a face--he did.

Little Jayleigh being a sheep.

Spencer got his turn, too.

One more . . . .

Jayleigh really didn't like Santa very well.

Jayleigh and Lacey swimming Saturday night.

We had such a great time. We're going to try again next year. Maybe if we went to Phoenix it wouldn't snow!?!?!?

I am Thankful--Day 23

Wow, as I look back on the month I am amazed how blessed I am. That is my thankful day today--my many blessings. I feel so blessed in many areas. My family first and foremost is my biggest blessing. Then there are so many other things: my home, my job, where I live, my religion, so, so many things. Think about it. The sunset--isn't that a blessing? All the beautiful things we have in this world to look at and be a part of is a wonderful blessing. One thing we cannot ever forget is to "count your many blessings." Too often we look at our lives and think "why me?" when we should be looking at what we have and realize the Lord IS really looking after us. His hand is in everything.

I am Thankful--Day 20, 21, and 22

I wasn't near a computer all weekend so I have to lump three days together. I am thankful for weekends when I can go visit my kids and grandkids. We enjoy visiting them--and them visiting us. I'm grateful we live close enough together that it isn't that big a hardship to get together. I am also grateful that I only have to work three days this next week. Yay!

I am Thankful--Day 19

Today I am thankful for a barbecue and a barbecuer. Curt and I went to Wally World shopping today and decided to have hamburgers. I told him not to worry about cooking them on the barbecue because I had to go visiting teaching at 6. Well, when I got home, he had the burgers all seasoned and the barbecue was ready to go. Man, barbecued hamburgers taste so good. And thanks to my hubby for doing the cooking. He is the barbecue man at our house, and I'm really grateful for that. I'm also grateful for Thursdays, because that means Friday is the next day--my favorite day of the whole week!

I am Thankful--Day 18

I am thankful for blogging and digital cameras. Blogging is so much fun. It's even more fun to read others' blogs. And where would we be without digital cameras? Here are some shots taken this past weekend when we were tending Cashelle's kids. They are priceless.

Here's Thomas sitting on Grandpa's bed watching something on the TV. I think Thomas had just got off Grandpa's back when I shot this. Thomas was so happy go lucky all weekend. He was still hyper when they went to bed each night. He's my bed jumper. There's that cute little Madalynn. It snowed on Saturday, and she was right out with the snow shovel getting it all done so Grandpa wouldn't have to. If you look on the counter in the background, you can see some of the projects the kids were busy with. I think we went through a box of envelopes (almost a whole box) and many, many, many sheets of paper. They really had a grand time.

Audrey doing her favorite activity of the weekend, watching Channel 117 (The Disney Channel). She also spent a bit of time playing on her DS. She also enjoyed playing Barbie.com and The Friend on Sunday.

Last but not least is Spencer with his ramen noodles. Need I say more? He was such a sweetheart. I don't think he cried all weekend--except for dinner making time when he was hungry. He kept Grandpa busy on Sunday along with Thomas while I and the girls went to church.

I am Thankful--Day 17

Today I am thankful for grocery stores. What would we do without them? I could have never lived as a pioneer--that must be why I was born in this day and age. It's so nice to just walk into the store, and in a couple of minutes, you walk out with the makings for a meal. Now if I could get someone to cook it and clean up the mess afterward--that would be nice.

I am Thankful--Days 14, 15, and 16

Had to lump a few together. You'll see why as you read on.

Today I am thankful I'm a grandparent. It's great to have the grandkids come and stay--and it's great that they can go back home with their parents. I don't say that to be rude. I love my grandchildren. But, I'm too old to raise another full-time family. We had a wonderful weekend while Cashelle and A.J. got to travel to Phoenix for the Seattle Seahawks/Arizona Cardinals game. I'm grateful that they had the opportunity to get away. It's so hard to get time away as a couple when you have kids at home. Been there, done that. Curt and I really did get along well with all four kids (Madlynn, Audrey, Thomas, and Spencer) this weekend. There was a lot of TV watchin', computer playin', picture paintin', TV watchin', Play Doh playin', treat eatin', TV watchin', book reading', and did I say TV watchin'? I'm sorry, but they did watch a lot of TV. We did see some good movies together though: "Up" (what a cute movie), "Finn on the Fly," Phineas and Ferb (for Thomas), Hannah Montana (for Madalynn and Audrey). Spencer is really taking off on his walking and boy does he love to eat! If I didn't get him exactly what everyone else had he came unglued.

On Sunday, the girls and I went to church while Grandpa tended Thomas and Spencer. Before I left I said, "Here's the diapers and wipes." He just said, "I won't be needing them." Grandpa did get kind of upset with me, though. The girls wanted to stay for primary so I stayed for the entire three-hour block. When I got home, there was stuff from my drawers all over the kitchen. Curt said, "And I already have picked it up three times!" Then he went in his own bedroom and shut the door. Oh, well. It was good for him to see what a mom really has to do, and the girls and I had a great time at church. I just hope the kids had a good time. We sure did!

I am Thankful--Day 13

I am grateful for Fridays. It just seems like a load is lifted when Friday rolls around. Most people prefer Saturdays, but to me, Saturday is work. That's when I usually clean my house. Fridays are definitely my favorite.

I am Thankful--Day 12

I am grateful for the waitresses and cooks/chefs who work tirelessly in the cafes and fast food places. Curt took me out to eat tonight. We actually ate at the bowling alley. I must say, the food was delicious. Why is it that a salad tastes so much better when it's prepared by someone else? Needless to say, the bowling alley has THE best ranch dressing that I have ever had anywhere. For Lacey's wedding, the bowling alley catered for her luncheon and we had a big jug of dressing left that I took home. When I went to get it out of the fridge, I DROPPED IT! I was so sad. My favorite dressing was all over the fridge and the floor. I was devasted.

I am Thankful--Day 11

Today I am so grateful for all the men and women who willingly serve their country. They give of their time, and often risk their very lives, to protect us. There are hundreds who have died for our freedom. We need to be grateful for them every day--not just today. Two of my brothers and one brother-in-law have served our country. I remember when I was young, my older brother Gary was serving in Viet Nam. Before that, he and my other brother, Rick, were serving in Korea. My brother-in-law, Larry, also served in Viet Nam. I am so proud of them and their efforts on our behalf.

I am Thankful--Day 10

Where would us women (and men) be without our cosmetologists or beauticians or whatever you call them? Mine is Carol. And I love her to pieces. In under an hour's time, she can make me feel good about myself again. So I am thankful for Carol today. She gave me a much needed haircut and some good old-fashioned ego building.

I am also thankful for my favorite reality show, "The Biggest Loser." Rudy, I can't believe you would diss on Shay like that.

I am Thankful--Day 9

I am thankful for my students. I really do enjoy them. They make me stay young. This is my 34th year teaching, and the students have been what have made it all worthwhile. I love to see them succeed. I love it when you see that "aha" look in their eyes when they finally understand something they have been struggling with. Grading tests, I get excited when I see a struggling student finally get that good score. Education is so important--to all of us.

I am Thankful--Day 8

Wow, already a week gone in November. See how I said time flies? It really does. Today I am thankful for my home and parents. I am so grateful to have a home of my own--so many people don't have that luxury. It has been great living here right next door to my mom and just blocks away from Curt's mom. I love my parents so much. I miss my dad--and my other dad, Grandpa Ben. They were looked up to by the grandchildren. I miss hearing their stories and just being near them. They were both wonderful parents. Being a parent is certainly not easy. Kids should be born with an Instruction Booklet. It would make life so much easier. I'm afraid that by the time you have it figured out, your kids and grown.

I am Thankful--Day 7

I am thankful for technology. I love it that to do laundry, all you have to do is put the clothes in a machine and turn it on. I would hate having to do laundry like the pioneers did. (Now if someone could just invent a machine to fold the clothes and put it away) I am grateful for my wonderful husband. Curt, I love you with all of my heart. We have some great years ahead of us. I am also grateful for my children and how much they mean to me. You mothers out there, enjoy your kids. Before you know it, they are grown and gone. Cashelle, you are a supermom to four of my wonderful grandchildren. You always have their best interest at heart. I hope they realize that. Chris, you are a great daddy to your little man. He looks up to you so much. You have a gentle, loving heart. Lacey, you do such a good job juggling work, baby Jayleigh, a household, etc. It is hard being a working mom. It's definitely not a cake walk. Jayleigh and Landon are lucky to have you. I also need to mention I am grateful for the spouses of my children. A.J., I can't imagine anyone else marrying Cashelle. I swear--you are the perfect match. Amanda, we appreciate all you bring to our family. You, too, are a great little mommy, and we're getting excited to meet a new grandson soon. Landon, you are a great addtion to our growing family. You work so hard to support and talk care of them. Jayleigh sure loves her daddy. Since I'm mentioning spouses, I CAN'T leave out my beautiful grandchildren. Madalynn, you are such a sweetheart. I love it that you like to help so much. You are a great example to your brothers and sisters. And what a reader! Audrey, I absolutely LOVE to hear you sing. You have such a kind heart for others. Don't ever lose that. Thomas, you are so much fun to have around. I love to listen to you talk and play. Spencer, what a busy little man. What a sweet disposition you possess. Cody, you remind me so much of your daddy when he was a little boy. You belong in the outdoors for sure. Jayleigh, you are such a cute, sweet little girl. We cherish the moments when you come to visit. We love you all!

I am Thankful--Day 6

I am grateful for the sun shining in my house today. The weather outside looks beautiful! Too bad I can't go out and enjoy it. I'm hoping I'll be better by Monday. I'm also thankful Curt and his buddies got to go fishing at Strawberry today. He deserves it.

I am Thankful--Days 2, 3, 4, and 5

Okay, so I have to lump a few days together. Today I am totally thankful for doctors and Tamiflu. I have the swine flu. There's no way I could even turn on the computer yesterday, much less create a post. I was SO SO sick. Curt took me to the doctor and he said from all indications it is the swine flu. He said he could do a $300 test and we'd know the results when I was better. No need for that. I'll probably be able to go back to work on Monday.

I am Thankful--Day 1

I decided for this month of November, I am going to do a thankful diary. But instead of doing just the normal thankful things, I'm going to specify what I was thankful for on that particular day. So, some days I may repeat myself a little. Today, Sunday, November 1, I am thankful for fast and testimony meeting. It was a spiritual day in our ward today--so many great and wonderful testimonies were shared: Alyssia Stevenson, our new temple president, Jason Stevenson, Chris Case and her daughter, Laurie Miller--just to name a few. It boosted my own testimony. I also was flipping through channels on TV today and got to see President Holland's great testimony building talk that he gave at conference this year. What a wonderful testimony of the Book of Mormon. I will never tire of that talk. It boosts me for sure! I also have to mention I am thankful for Amanda today. It is her 23rd birthday and I am glad she got to share it with us. She is a nice addition to our ever-growing family.

Woody the Woodpecker

When we were getting ready to go to the Trunk or Treat, we spotted this little woodpecker at the bottom of one of our flowering crab trees. He was pretty busy!

Halloween and Etc.

Another Halloween come and gone. Gee, I am getting older and older, and I don't like it! We had a great Halloween weekend but we sorely missed Madalynn, Audrey, Thomas, and Spencer. Of course, Cashelle and A.J., you were missed, too. Cashelle and the kids came to visit the first part of October. We had a cookie and game night. We baked ghost cookies and played Aggravation. We had a great time.

All the Larsens--minus A.J. enjoying game/cookie night.

Cody was not a happy camper as we prepared to leave for the Trunk or Treat. He did cheer up a lot after we got there. Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Here is Curt with his new pride and joy. This truck was his 30-year dream. He has read ads, visited car lots, talked to dealers, etc., etc., etc. Cashelle even wondered what he would do when we go to Tooele. His two favorite activities--Going to Cal Ranch and visiting the local car dealerships. I am so happy he finally got his dream truck!

Lady Bug, Lady Bug, fly away home . . . .

Grandpa with his little lady bug, Jayleigh.

When Cashelle and her kids were here, Spencer found the paper shredder.

At the Trunk or Treat, the headless horseman was riding up and down main street. It was kind of eerie!

Cody and Jayleigh riding in the strollers.

I tried to get the whole group. I cut off Cody and Jayleigh. Geez, Grandma!

Cody and daddy. Chris, you look stoned. What a picture!

Cody wouldn't let me get a picture of his back view, so side view will have to work.