Christmas Morning

A Good Christmas!

It always is. I especially loved this one. I was so impressed with the slow laid back pace. After looking through the stockings we fixed breakfast, ate breakfast and then cleaned up breakfast! And then finally got back to it. There was no wining or impatient waiting. They seemed just as happy as we were to take it slow. I mean, is that normal? Does that just happen when they get older? Still, they're all under 10. Not quite the age of maturity.
I love how impatient they get while we take pictures. Here they are waiting at the top of the stairs. I guess this is where they got all their impatient waiting out. We had to take several pictures while waiting for Canon to stop crying. They loved that! This was the best we could do:
Taking turns coming down the stairs to look for stockings.
I love this picture!
Let the frenzy begin!
Sing-a-ma-jigs! These are HILARIOUS! Canon and the girls got these in their stockings and they spent forever just playing with them, not caring when they got to the gift opening.

When Canon got this Logan was a little confused because he had one (that had been run over twice and is no longer usable) and he thought we were giving Canon his. He was a little sad about it until he opened this:
Trust me, he was thrilled.


Jocelyn wanted a Go-Go pet dog. I wanted to get her Heelys (knowing Jocely's love for thrilling adventure). We both got what we wanted. --Grandma Hansbrow got her the dog. Later I asked her, when she was rolling all around the kitchen, what her favorite gift was. You betcha, mother knows best!

Ryen wanted school supplies. I found these great lapboards online at Tag Toys. They are chalkboards on one side and dry erase on the other and the quality is amazing. She of course loved them.
I was the most surprised by her Christmas morning. When we teased her that we took her present back and that she doesn't get a present from mom and dad she took it literally and wonderfully. It was weird! She just sat back and said, "Okay." It was so sweet! You could tell that she was a little disappointed but her response was so mature. I don't think we would have teased her like that if we knew she was going to think we were serious. Mean parents!

This gift was kind of a family/Ethan gift. But Ethan wanted the PS3 in a bad way. Not because he knew all the possiblities a Playstatin could hold but so he could play a video game called Split Second. Yep, the game was his gift from Santa. That would've been a bummer: the PS3 but no game. We're not that mean.

Ethan hugged and kissed his present. His reaction was priceless.
We must not tease very much because he believed us too when Brian said, "Oh no, he's going to know what it is, I just heard it bark." Ethan paused and then carefully unwrapped the present. So funny that he believed it. I wouldn't even buy Jocelyn a pretend dog.

July Top Ten (Top Eight)

8- Ethan was telling Brian how he knew that Mom and Dad are really the Easter Bunny. When Brian asked him about Santa Ethan said that he was real. Then Brian asked him about the tooth fairy. His response, “I’m still working on that.”

7- Logan hates getting stuff stuck in his teeth. When he does he cries and tells me his tongue hurts. It took me the longest time to realize that it wasn’t his tongue that hurt. It was that he couldn’t get that darn food out of his teeth.

6- The kids were crying when we told them we sold our house and were moving. They were so upset. I felt bad and quietly suggested to Brian that we do something fun to cheer them up (I was thinking rent a movie or eat some ice cream). Ryen heard me and being the opportunist that she is she decided to milk this for what it was worth. Pretty soon she and Ethan were trying to get expensive stuff out of us. Ryen wanted to go to the movie theatre and Ethan wanted us to buy him a $20 bionicle.

5- Ryen told Logan the he was a bad boy. I told her that she shouldn’t tell people that. Then Logan said, “Yeah that’s a bad word.”

4- Ethan said to Brian, “Dad, don’t you dare make Mom mad. She’s gonna bust you.”

3- Brian pointed out a homeless man on the side of the road. To which Jocelyn responded, “He gots to find a home that nobody lives in. He can live in our home.”

2- At dinner time Brian was talking about nothing in particular. Logan told him, “You’re talking like a man.” We laughed and Brian said, “I am a man.” “You’re a tall man,” Logan responded.

1- At Wal-Mart Jocelyn wandered off as she frequently does. I grabbed her and asked her, “What did I say about staying by me?” “Uh,” she said concentrating. “Stay by you forever?”
Sure that’ll work.

Baptism Day

January 31, 2009

It was a special day for us and for Ethan! Ethan chose Aunt Erica to play piano and Aunt Jamie to give a talk on Baptism and his sisters and some cousins (the girl ones) to sing "When Jesus Christ was Baptized."

Logan kept asking if he could go in the water. We kept telling him he could when he was eight! He doesn't know how long that is but I'm sure he knew what it meant; "It's gonna be a while." ...He just had a minor tantrum.

I Love To See The Temple

Sorry for all the wordy posts. But here's another one.

I really took a lot from this last Stake Conference. I really needed to learn these things about the temple. My testimony has increased tremendously from what I’ve learned here and from taking President Duffin’s challenge to redouble our efforts. I’m posting this strictly for personal use but anyone is welcome to read. Obviously it is extremely condensed.


Sister Anderson-

The temple is a place to offer our selves, to sacrifice and commune with God.

If ever you have a vexing problem go to the temple. What is not solvable becomes solvable.


Merril J Bateman-

God comes to meet with His children in the temple.

Those who have temple recommends don’t usually need to see bishop. They go to the temple and get help to work things out.

Worship and work has same root. Everyone at the temple serves. Happiness and joy-that’s what work does. The temple helps you become self reliant.

He told a story of a severely handicap woman who finally had the chance to go to the temple. She was overjoyed because her whole life people had served her. For the first time, because of the temple, she could serve others.


President Duffin-

Set specific goals. Do not let anything get in the way. Be like the people who need to travel and plan to get to the temple.

What’s an acceptable offering in temple worship? Is it occasionally rushing in?

The Lord is sending a message. I feel strongly that we need to increase our temple attendance. The Lord may be preparing us for a day when a temple will be in our midst.

Satan will unleash every scheme, evil violation… Evil night darkens-we must come to the temple for safety and light. Membership in the church is not enough.

Vicarious service of the dead=most selfless service. Every time you come to the temple you will leave a better person guaranteed! We need to redouble our efforts.

June Top Ten

10-- We checked out a potty book from the library for Logan. In the book the boy had an accident on the floor. There was a puddle in the picture. I pointed out that that was really yucky (not wanting him to think it would be cool to make his own puddle someday). Later he needed to go poo-poo and he was a bit freaked out. I asked him what was wrong. “If I go poo-poo it will fall out of my diaper and make a mess on the floor.” I’m not too sure about those potty books…

9-- Rumor has it that the reason that Brian and I are moving is because we are getting a divorce. This rumor started because of a certain testimony meeting where Brian and I both bore our testimonies. My family was there and we had just found out that my mom had cancer. I was emotional and in Brian’s testimony he said “We’re going to get through this.” Someone must have taken that as the Bishop and his wife are having hard times in their marriage. Hehe

8-- Logan informed me one day that the ants are naked. I suppose they are.

7-- Logan—“Mom, where’s Jesus?” I answered, “Up in Heaven.” Logan after a pause said, “I never find him.”

6-- A conversation between me and Logan
Me – Logan we need to change your diaper. You’re stinky.
Logan – No-hoh.
Me – Yeh-hes.
Logan – But some pooh-poohs are good.

5-- We pulled up to Grandma and Grandpa Feller’s house. When we got out of the car we saw Grandpa in the garage. Logan said, “Hi grandpa. We’re going to Grandma Feller’s.”

4-- Ryen wrote this letter to Ethan and Jocelyn to express her feelings.
Dear Ethan and Jocelyn,
I know you are trying to be mean to me. You have been hitting me and stuff and it hurts my feelings.

3-- Ethan wanted me to buy him a bionicle. For that sort of thing the kids have allowance and are supposed to save up for what they want to buy. But since Ethan has been having a sour attitude lately I suggested practicing having a good attitude and that maybe if he got really good at it I would buy him one. He responded, “You’re just making me have a lesson. I don’t like lessons.”

2-- Logan snuck some carrot juice in my cart. Somehow it also made it on the checkout runner and into the grocery bags without my knowledge. When I found it I asked Logan if he snuck it into the cart. “NO!” he denied. “This is really yucky,” I replied. Then he started crying, “No it’s yummy!” You think this is yummy?” I asked. “It’s carrot juice! Do you want some?” “Yes I want some!” So I poured some in a glass for him. He sat at the table and stared at it for a while then finally said, “Mom, I can’t! I can’t drink it!”

1-- Another conversation
Logan -- It’ll be fun to go to Jesus’ house. But it will be scary.
Me -- Why will it be scary?
Logan -- Because Jesus will get mad at me.
Me – Why will Jesus be mad at you?
Logan – Because he’ll say, “Why did you kill my animals?”
Me – Did you kill Jesus’ animals?
Logan – Uh-huh.
Me – What did you kill?
Logan – I killed ants.

May Top Ten

10-- Ryen said to me, “Mom listen, 2-Logan, 4-Jocelyn, 6-me, 8-Ethan. Two, four, six, eight!” I responded, “Two, four, six, eight. Who do we appreciate? Mom!” Then Ryen said, thoughtfully, “That’s actually true.” Very sweet, thanks Ryen.

9-- Jocelyn came up to me and cried, “Mom, Ethan’s going to tell on me but I don’t want him to.” In the other room I hear Ethan snickering. He didn’t have to move a muscle, she just took matters into her own hands.

8-- Whenever Logan is upset with his daddy he cries, “I want my mommy.” And vice versa, when he’s upset with mommy he wants his daddy. Well recently neither of us could console him so he finally resorted to, “I want my Ethan.”

7-- Jocelyn was getting a snack for her and Jade. When Ryen came up Jocelyn told her that they were playing a jungle game. Ryen said, “Ooo, and these are your jungle snacks?” “No,” she answered, “We were just hungry.”

6-- Logan was in hysterics crying because Jocelyn ate one of his fruit snacks. “I want my fruit snack. I never got it out of her tummy. I never find it.”

5-- I was lecturing the kids about their handprints on the windows right after I washed them. Ethan said, “I just want to play Wii. If you let us play video games for a while we wouldn’t mess up your stuff, we’d be too busy playing video games.”

4-- Logan was crying because he fell. I asked him, “Did you fall?” “No,” he cried, “the floor hit me!”

3-- I asked the kids what they wanted to do for Family Home Evening one Monday. Ryen suggested writing letters to Jesus. Ethan asked, “How do you write letters to Jesus?” Ryen answered, “You put it in an envelope and you give to daddy.” It just makes so much sense. You give him Jesus’ money, why not His letters too?

2-- In the car, on our way home from Grandma’s, the kids were discussing how scary dinosaurs are. I was telling them that there was no need to be afraid of dinosaurs when Brian jumped in, “Don’t be afraid of dinosaurs. Be afraid of the cataclysmic event that killed dinosaurs.” To which Ethan exclaimed, “Meteors!” “What’s a meteor?” Jocelyn asked. Ethan told her that it was a “giant rock from space”. To which Jocelyn replied, “Whoa! Now that’s scary!”

1-- Logan was playing with an ant in our house. In a sing song voice he was saying, “Smooshed an ant. Oh. Sorry ant, sorry ant, sorry little teeny ant.” And then a bit more intense he went on to say, “Oh man. Oh man! I killed it. Mom, I killed it!” I wished I had a tape recorder.

Dancing King

Ethan's 2nd grade program was full of good ol' country music. He had his own dance solo. It's the first program that I've actually seen him participate. It's fun to watch when they actually perform. Please excuse the freaky eyes.

The girls wanted to do some of their own dancing. They climbed up here so they could have their own stage to perform on.