Denver

Well, my sweet little boy is crawling...I feel like he just became a part of our family and now he is all over the place. He started crawling about 2 weeks ago and he is everywhere. He is also trying to pull himself up onto whatever he can get his hands on. He really loves Avery so much and follows her around as quick as he can...it is too cute! I am so proud and grateful to be a mom to such cute, sweet, and adorable kids. I couldn't ask for more:)

The Meaning of Christmas

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room, and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. "What are you doing?" I started to ask him.
The words choked in my throat, as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager boisterous soul we all know. He then answered me with a simple statement, TEACH THE CHILDREN!
I was puzzled: What did he mean? He anticipated my question, and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.
As I stood there bewildered, Santa said, Teach the Children! Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that a now-a-day Christmas has forgotten!
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it on the mantle. Teach the Children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind. All the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven.
He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. Teach the Children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of that promise.
He then reached into the bag and pulled out a CANDLE. Teach the Children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness.
Once again he reached into his bag and then removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree.
Teach the Children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection.
He then pulled out from his bag an ornament of HIMSELF. Teach the Children that Santa Claus symbolizes the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December.
He reached in again and pulled out a HOLLY LEAF. Teach the Children the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent blood shed by Him.
Next he pulled out a GIFT from the bag and said, "Teach the Children that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift. Teach the Children that the wise men bowed before the holy babe and presented Him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We should give gifts in the same spirit as the wise men."
Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. Teach the Children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the shepherd's staff helps bring back strayed sheep from the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper.
He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. Teach the Children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang 'Glory to God in the highest, on earth, peace and good will.'
Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulledout a BELL. Teach the Children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of a bell, it should bring people to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.
Santa looked at the tree and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the Children the true meaning of Christmas, and not to put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One who is, and I bow down and worship Him, our Lord, our God."

I found this cute story on a different blog. I love the real meaning of Christmas! The feeling it brings is so great. I look forward to sharing this with my family every year:)

Ethel M's

This last weekend we went with some family to go see Santa and enjoy the beautiful lights of the cactus garden. Avery is starting to "get" the Santa thing so it was fun to see him. It was really nice to be out in the crisp, winter air and visit with Jon and Marci. Not to mention we ended our fabulous evening with some yummy Krispy Kreme doughnuts and hot apple cider.:)

TWILIGHT!!!!

Because we were on vacation when Twilight came out, I waited to see it with the girls in my Bunco group. I didn't really have too high of expectations and I tried to go into it open-minded. Well, I'm glad I did. I definitely enjoyed the movie and can't wait to take Phil to see it. I think they did a great job with the characters and the way they portrayed the "love" between Edward and Bella. I'm anxious for the next movie to come about!

Disneyland

A couple of weeks ago we went on a little vacation to Disneyland. We spent 3 days between both parks. Avery could not wait to see the princesses and Tinkerbell. We weren't able to see them until our last day, but it was definitely the highlight of the trip for her. We went with some good friends of ours which was nice because the adults could actually go on adult rides. Denver was such a good baby...he just hung out and enjoyed the scenery. It was nice for Phil and I to have some great family time. We love our annual trip to Disneyland!

What do you get for $160,140?

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.24 a day. Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is don't have children if you want to be "Rich".

Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for $160,140?

Naming rights. First, Middle and Last

Glimpses of God every day.

Giggles under the covers every night.

More love than your heart can hold

Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.

Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds and warm cookies

A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.

A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles and

skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.

Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how

your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140 you never have to grown up.

You get to finger-paint, carvepumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never stop

believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,

watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and wishing on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts and flowers under refigerator magnets

and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas,

hand prints set in clay for Mothers Day and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140 there is no greater bang for your buck,

You get to be a hero just for retrieving the frisbee off the garage roof,

taking the trainingwheels off a bike,

removing a splinter, filling a wading pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs

and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat of history to witness the first steps,

first word, first bra, first date and first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal.

You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice,communications, and human sexualitythat no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, your rightup there under God.

You have the power to heal a boo-boo,

scare away the monsters under the bed,

patch a broken heart,

police a slumber party,

ground them forever,

and love them without limits,

so... one day they will, like you,

love without counting the cost.

Enjoy your kids and grandkids!

-Author Unknown-

Blessed

Just recently some people we know lost their 3 week old, healthy baby boy in his sleep. That really put things into perspective for me. I am very grateful that I have a healthy and happy family. Even when things seem to be at their worst, I guess they're really not. I love my husband and two kids so much and I really try to enjoy the time I have with them.