A New Blog for a New Year

Decided to swap things up this year and am relocating the bloggie. It won't be private (unless I CHANGE my mind on that later) so for now you can subscribe through google reader. My blogger account is running out of space for images so I thought I'd try something new. I'll keep everyone on the invite list here and this blog won't disappear... just no new posts.

Remember years ago when

www.jimmyandheather.com

lived.

Well, we revived it and put a new face on it.

See ya over there from now on! Let me know if you have trouble accessing it.

Happy 2011!

New Year's Eve

We tried to have a little party for New Year's Eve for the tots. I think it got turned into a Chinese New Year theme, but that's fine. We had Fried Rice, Fortune Cookies, 7-up in fun plastic goblet cups, and slush. We put Tru and Max in bed at 7. Hannah and Abe got to stay up late (oh - like 8:15!!!) and play Skip-Bo, Bananagrams, and Go Fish with mom and dad. They seemed to have a fun time. Bye-Bye 2010... Hello 2011.

p.s. do you see how Tru put all the peas in the stem of the goblet. He spent a long time making that happen. Too funny!

Christmas 2010

Last year I never got around to journaling about Christmas. I'm sad I didn't because I remember I had some great memories.... just can't remember all the little details now. Even the memories from this Christmas are fading (obviously my brain is too tired to capture it all). But yes, we did indeed have a Christmas... a good one even!

On Christmas Eve everyone opened a BYU shirt. They are like nightgowns on the kids, but they loved them. The kids woke a little before 7 and waited in the boys room as long as they could. Tru slept through the first part of Christmas - which was great! The tots seemed to enjoy stockings and opening presents. They were glad and grateful.

Hannah's main presents were a Sewing Craft kit and a matching American Girl Outfit combo. Abe got a few sets of Legos for his present. Max got a Toy Story Laptop Game thingie. Tru got a new bike/car to buzz around on. A great $8 deal, I'd say! Another highlight was the new family wii game - Super Mario. I even got a brand-new faucet and a crockpot... much needed gifts. The kids made some meaningful gifts for everyone. Abe gave us a plate with a neat drawing he did. Very sweet!

One of my favorite things about Christmas this year were the thoughtful nature of gifts. Hannah made so many neat things for everyone... a story of Thims for Dad... a mountain drawing for mom... a homemade coloring book for Abe... a "They Believed" calendar for Grandma Smith... and a Book of "Buty land" for Grandma Price. She spent hours making these and I loved her giving attitude.

After opening presents, we headed to Grandma & Grandpa Price's to see them, Jane, Seth, & Ryan, and Gr. Grandma Beck. They kids have a fun time. We enjoyed a delicious brunch. And we showered with thoughtful presents... Go Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate EVERYTHING!

Christmas day seems to fly by. We came home and were visited by Brock and Julie. We put the tots in bed early and ta-da... a fun Christmas Day! And ever since the tots have enjoyed their presents during the holiday break. Christmas is such a neat time. It brings a sparkle to the eyes of children and adults. So good!

Temple *LIGHT*

more on Christmas later... but for tonight... this.

Tonight I drove in view of 6 temples... SIX! From my parent's home, the Bountiful temple. From lights at Temple Square, Salt Lake City Temple. And the drive home... Jordan River, Draper, Oquirrh Mountain, and then Mt. Timpanogos. Wow! What a blessing to be surrounded by so much glowing Temple LIGHT. Yep - the LIGHT of Christ shines through the darkness, especially with the House of the Lord.

Christmas Greetings ... Bloggie Style

My friend Andrea shared... "one of the purposes of the Christmas season is to strengthen bonds of unity, love, and friendship." That perspective reminds that holiday greetings from friends and family serve a great purpose ... to keep in touch with treasured friends. Love that!

So - here we are sharing our Christmas Greetings - Blogger Style.

here's the video from the card above:


These are the mini 3x4 cards the kids gave to friends. Hannah and Abe gave them to each kiddo in their school class with a little candy cane. I love that they had a chance to GIVE.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

some *Christmas Eve* cheer

We enjoyed a nice Christmas Eve supper of Mock Chicken Cordon Bleu, Orange Rolls, Slush with Fresca, Veggies, and Scandinavian Fruit Soup. It all turned out pretty well... which is miraculous around here. The kids were thrilled when Julie and Brock arrived... having visitors seemed to make the evening more magical. Hannah set a lovely table and helped with serving. The sparkle of delight was in her eyes!

But... this is where it really all begins... with the very reason for this special holiday - baby Jesus. I love this photo. The kids came up with their costumes (life is good shirts on their heads tied with yarn). Tru was giving baby Jesus (American Girl doll Kit) a not-so-gentle pat with his cute pudgy baby hands. But they were gathered around the manger and all was well.

Brock played the songs on the guitar. The kids were in awe.  Tru led the music and smacked his tongue. Max smiled.  Abe sang along with his songbook.  Hannah sang with exuberance.

Max took most of these pictures. He wanted one of each person there. He just happened to be standing right behind Hannah. Jimmy read the traditional Smith stories, "The Thims Bear Christmas" and "Egor Sprite Story" written by Grandpa Smith.

And we ended the evening... with Luke 2 read by Julie and presented by Mary and Joseph (Hannah and Abe.)

Hannah begged to sleep in the boy's room. "The Children Were Nestled All Snug In Their Beds."

1st Day of Christ

Gift of the Savior of the World:

Heavenly Father GAVE His only begotten Son to be the Savior of the World.... to save us from our sins. Through the Atonement of Jesus, we can repent, become clean again, and some day live with God again.

"What do we mean when we say He is the Savior of the world? The Redeemer? Each of these titles point to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each of God’s children the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved. His subsequent resurrection prepared the way for every person to overcome physical death as well. These events are called the Atonement. In short, Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death. For that, he is very literally our Savior and Redeemer. In the future Jesus Christ will return to reign on earth in peace for a thousand years. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He will be our Lord forever." Mormon.org

2nd Day of Christ : Joseph Smith's 205th Birthday

The Gift of the Restored Gospel: D&C 135:3 "Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. ..."

My family has a tradition to celebrate Joseph Smith's birthday every December 23. We have a simple meal (ours consisted of pepper (i mean - potato) soup, biscuits, milk, and oranges).

Then we have a little devotional sharing stories about the Prophet Joseph Smith. I liked that when we told Hannah and Abe that they needed to come to our devotional with a story of Joseph Smith, they both had one in mind. Abe told about the First Vision. Hannah told about Moroni telling Joseph about the plates and when Joseph got the gold plates. We helped Max tell the story about Joseph helping the kids who were stuck in the mud.  Each of the kids had a picture to help tell their story.

Pretty much every night it seems like chaos to me. Tru is running around crying half the time. Max listens half the time and wiggles half the time. Tonight Tru and Max were fighting over playing the keyboard in the middle of the stories. The older ones seem to like it even though they are in space for half the time. In spite of all that, I know it's good to keep trying - to keep it short - try to have the Spirit with us for at least a moment. I somehow think that even though we wonder if the kids hear anything, that maybe their heart is touched in some way. And maybe it will be the DOING every year that will somehow teach them something about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Anyhoo... tonight we also talked about how grateful we are for Joseph Smith's sacrifice to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the earth. What a blessing for us!

3rd Day of Christ

The Gift of Hope: Ether 12:4, True to the Faith Manual

We talked about how Christ brings us HOPE because of His Atonement and Resurrection. We know that when we experience sad things on this earth, like having a loved one die, that we can HOPE in Christ and know that we shall see them again. We also talked about how glorious the Resurrection is that our bodies will be made perfect.

"The prophet Moroni taught, “Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God” (Ether 12:4). {The kids loved talking about a world where you would have no fear. Where there would only be righteousness and goodness. There is always HOPE in Christ.}

"Mormon taught that such hope comes only through the Atonement of Jesus Christ: “What is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise” (Moroni 7:41).

"With hope, you can find joy in life. You can “have patience, and bear with … afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions” (Alma 34:41). You can “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:20)."

Magic Moments of Motherhood

Ever heard the song "Magic Moments" by Perry Como? Well - a friend introduced this song to me at BYU and it's one that makes me chuckle and smile. It's cute and old fashioned.

My favorite part:

Magic, moments,

Memories we’ve been sharin’,

Magic, moments,

When two hearts are carin’ . . .

Time can’t erase the memory of,

These magic, moments,

Filled with love!

I had a lot of MAGIC moments today. Yes, they do exist, and I need to acknowledge them more often.  Today I felt glad to be a stay-at-home mom so I could be a part of the little things in my kid's lives. I realized the blessing it is to be here to see the JOY sparkling in their eyes. Yes, I could have done without the 5 poopy diapers... and the whining... and such. But it was overall a good mothering day (well - until 7:30 p.m. when my patience pooped out).

These are a few of the magic moments from today:
~ Kid's playing in the snow and enjoying every cold minute of it!
~ Sue and Bob, the newest snowpeople in the backyard.
~ Truman's 2 1/2 hour nap.
~ A very pleasant and long quiet time for Hannah, Abe, and Max.
~ Playing with Tru during quiet time. He was so funny running around with his Santa hat and blanket.
~ Hannah's homemade gift for her friend Sydney. She crocheted her a necklace and a bracelet and gave her an American Girl Doll catalog. A Candy Cane and Milky Way made it complete!
~ Abe's cute reindeer drawing for the elderly.
~ Max giving me random hugs and kisses throughout the day.
~ Tru trying to climb on the table... but getting stuck crawling around the chairs...with his santa hat on.
~ Abe rubbing my back.
~ Laying on Hannah's bed at 4 p.m. listening to David Archuleta Christmas tunes. A mini nap. Hannah was writing a story and kept reading me the newest part.
~ Family activity to eat pizza in the car and see lights at Thanksgiving Point.
~ Delight at seeing Christmas lights... and a live reindeer.
~ Abe's excitement at smelling a real pine tree. He loved it!
~ Truman loving his daddy and giving him big leg hugs
~ Rosy cheeks and warm hot chocolate after snow play.

4th day of Christ

The Gift of Baptism and the Holy Ghost: 2 Nephi 31: 17-18, 2 Nephi 32: 1-5, True to the Faith Manual.

"Baptism is the first saving ordinance of the gospel. All who seek eternal life must follow the example of the Savior by being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.

"The prophet Nephi said that the Savior showed us “the gate by which [we] should enter. For the gate by which [we] should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of [our] sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost. And then are [we] in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life” (2 Nephi 31:17–18).

"As you keep the covenant you made at baptism, the Lord will bless you for your faithfulness. Some of the blessings you receive are the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and the remission of your sins.

"The Constant Companionship of the Holy Ghost. After you were baptized, one or more authorized Melchizedek Priesthood holders laid their hands on your head and gave you the gift of the Holy Ghost. This gift gives you the right to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost as long as you are worthy. The Spirit’s constant companionship is one of the greatest blessings you can receive in mortality. The Spirit will guide you in the paths of righteousness and peace, leading you to eternal life.

"As you strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost “will show unto you all things what [you] should do” (see 2 Nephi 32:1–5)"

First day of Winter = snow... snow... snow

This is the photo on my computer desktop right now. It reminds me that warmth will exist again come summer.

Right now, this is what it looks like outside. The kids are outside making snow angels... and going down the slide in the snow. Max's gloves are caked with snow but he keeps on playing and falling and loving it!!!

I'm grateful for the snow today even as cold as it is. We've had a lot of rain this week and snow is much prettier. Plus, the kids can go play in it. I just wish we could all stay home all week and snuggle in. But alas... Jimmy had to head to SLC today for a job interview.

I'm amazed at how long the kids have played outside. Max and Hannah are going on 2 hours. What a winter wonderland! I'm sure they'll be ready for some hot chocolate and a warm shower.