Christmas Greetings.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Christmas. We are very excited at our house. Andrew woke with the biggest smile this morning because, he told me, tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Yesterday, we had Family Home Evening at Grandma Clark's house and observed some fun traditions. Grandma made us delicious soup and cookies--our favorites--pastry cookies and bird nest cookies with pink frosting. Then came my favorite part--the nativity. As Uncle Roger read the Christmas story out of the bible, the cousins came out of the back room dressed as Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men and angels. This year Andrew was a wise man (in a pink turban). I look back with fond memories to the time he was a shepherd and then a sheep (with a feather boa wrapped around his middle).

Today, Steven and I finished up some Christmas projects. One of our projects was a sign we saw at Robert's Crafts. It says ". . . and the stockings were hung . . .", and it had hooks on it. We wanted something to hang our stockings on and this worked great. We had a lot of fun decorating our piano and our Christmas tree.

Also today Steven took it upon himself to make six loafs of bread by hand. This means he had to make the recipe three times. There was bread for his three counselors in Elders Quorum and for his home teaching families and one broken loaf for us. It was yummy.

One other thing I have to mention, the last two days before Christmas break, Andrew spent hours in his daddy's classroom reading books and he did it!!! He reached 100 Accelerated Reading points. It was his own little goal and he did it. I am so proud of him.

This is CAT, the terror of our house, hunter of unwary humans and eater of fake pine tree needles. CAT THE TERRIBLE is trying to take the camera away from me. He thought he had a better angle on things and knew he would do a better job. I disagreed.

What's Been Going On

Just some catch up stuff. Andrew is doing really well. He is an honorary member of the jump rope club now thanks to his Dad's inside sources. This means that Andrew can go jump rope in the gym while the older kids are practicing. He doesn't know the difference. It is more of a social thing with him--getting to be around other kids as much as possible. In piano he has perfected his Suzuki piece for his next piano recital on the 18th and is now busy trying to learn some Christmas pieces. He learned Jolly Old St. Nicholas in one day--I'm supposed to have him read the music, but he has such a good ear he doesn't need the music after hearing it a couple of times. Also, we finally finished reading "The Horse and his Boy" (without any tears I might add) and we are getting ready to start reading "Prince Caspian." He has 69.4 Ar points. I am really proud of how hard he is working.

Steven is at his last College class for this semester tonight. Today he played a trick on his co-teacher, Mrs. Perry. It was her half-birthday (somehow this is something they celebrate in goofy teacher world) so to celebrate or torment her they had the secretary call her down to the office in the middle of class saying that there was a very angry parent she was going to have to deal with. Mrs. Perry meanwhile believed the story because she has been dealing with angry parents frequently, went to the office where the principle(who is in on the whole thing naturally) gives her a big spill about how angry and out of control this parent is. Mrs. Perry begins to elaborate on how things seamed to be all cleared up with this particular parent and how this episode is coming out of nowhere. Behind her back, the secretary is waving to the principle to let Mrs. Perry go back to her classroom because the trap has been set. However, Mrs. Perry does not take the principles hints to let it go for now and go back to class. Instead, she commences explaining and elaborating on the whole problem from day one ( kind of like the book of Genesis "In the beginning . . ."). The principle is patiently listening and giving hints and trying to get her back to her classroom so they can continue with the joke--and Mrs. Perry is not co-operating. At last she finishes and calms down and is persuaded to return to class. She walks into a dark classroom expecting nothing, turns on the light and then .............Steven and both 6th grade classes start throwing armfuls of confetti that the secretary has been saving up for several months. The room is literally a foot deep in shredded paper. Mrs. Perry is stunned and confused and then she remembers that it is her half birthday and that Steven is getting revenge on her for the last confetti storm. And there were donuts. ( or as they say in the bible "and they saw that it was good").

So you see, both my boys are getting education and play time. We are getting excited for Christmas. Andrew has written out his three page letter to Santa, and Steven has the lights up outside. We are all cozy and hunkered down waiting for the Holiday Season with great anticipation. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at my mom and dads. I think I washed every dish in the house, and sad to say, my taste hadn't returned yet from the last chemo so I couldn't really taste anything. But, I have to tell Lorraine and Gary thanks for cooking up an early Thanksgiving dinner for us before my chemo so I was able to savor my turkey this year nevertheless. Family is the greatest blessing. That is what I am most thankful for this year. Without my family, I would be lost.

I also need to thank some special ladies who gave me a very thoughtful gift last month. I have never had anyone do such a nice thing for me before. I was astonished. I had a lot of fun and I have enjoyed it so much. Thank you so much!!

Crazy Wacked-Out Sixth Grade Teachers

For Steven's school's Halloween Carnival each teacher had to come up with an activity for their room. Leave it to Steven and his co-teacher, Mrs. Perry, to go all the way out and dress up like Thing 1 and Thing 2. Rumour has it they dressed up the night before and ran through the halls scaring unwary teachers and students. (I mean think of the long lasting repercussions of suddenly turning around and seeing a man in red flannel pajamas and blue hair grinning fanatically at you). I myself think that Steven is pretty hot in long hair. It is either that or hair envy (I can't be sure). I may have to borrow his smurfy due so that mine can have a day off.

Jump Rope Club

Andrew wanted to join the jump rope club at school. He is a pretty good hopper and has the energy for it, but the rule was that you had to be in third grade or older. Anyway, I arrived at school and found him bawling in his daddy's arms. Right off I thought he had to be hurt, but of course I should have known my theatrical son was having mental anguish that they wouldn't let him be part of the club. So, we comforted him and talked to him and tried to explain. We told him he could start his own jump rope club at recess. Eventually he stopped crying probably more so to get his parents to shut up than anything.

That evening just before bedtime, after watching a film on street dancing--like break dancing-- (he was very engrossed in the dancing and trying to do flips and spins and handstands etc.) I noticed him hard at work on a project at the desk. He had his markers and crayons and some serious concentration going on. He kept asking me to spell words for him and I thought nothing of it because it is something that happens frequently. Well, then he shows me a sign he had made.

"Dance Club
you can be in eny grad
with hip hop danceis"

Well he was taking my advice I guess. He was starting his own club and fully intended to post his sign at school so "eny" one could join. I am glad he has a sense of fair play and community spirit. It really isn't fair they don't have some sort of activity for the younger grades. I also realize how impressionable and serious children can take seemingly minor occurrences. Parents probably don't realize how serious they can be. At the beginning of the year he saw something about how people liter and still to this day if he sees garbage laying on the ground, he picks it up and takes it to the nearest garbage can. One day at the library I had serious doubts we were ever going to make it inside the building. I couldn't stop him. Man, I love his energy and spirit.

Funny Twilight Spoof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dompotjTeIA

Here is a funny, ridiculous Twilight Movie Spoof trailer you might like. I thought it was very Napoleon Dynamite-ish. Enjoy.


Tomorrow I go in for Chemo #2, so I will be down for the count for at least 10 days hopefully no more. Also in related news, I am now sporting brown football turf instead of my normal shaggy do. The hair was falling out to fast and furious for me, and I was tired of combing out handfuls, so my sweet, wonderful husband gave me a buzz and a great hug afterwards. The worst part is the cold drafts. It is amazing the amount of heat a head-full of hair can keep in. I do enjoy the quicker morning routine--no blow drying, combing or curling irons. It is actually kind of nice. Andrew enjoys rubbing my head and told me the other day I should go as a bald woman for Halloween. This is actually very doable, only I am not sure I am that brave.

Andrew and I are reading C.S. Lewis' book "The Horse and His Boy," book number three in the Chronicles of Narnia. He took the test on "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and only missed one question, so now he has 30.2 AR points. I am thinking maybe 200 points isn't too far fetched. We will have to see.

New Twilight Movie Poster

New Twilight Poster. Yeah!!!

Andrew's is SEVEN!!!

Andrew had his seventh birthday on the 22nd. He wanted a bike party, so we invited his friends to bring their bikes to Rimrock Elementary on the Saturday before so they could all ride bikes together. Afterwards they had brownie sundays---just what Andrew ordered. (on a side note, it was Steven's birthday too, unfortunately, he has lost his birthday forever --he laments--which has sadly been proven true for the last seven years. However, he did get a carrot cake and a brownie sunday and he was privileged to chaperon a bike party that included two lovely little ladies one four almost five and one three going on 18.) It was perfectly planed and was just finished when a huge rain storm hit. We were very lucky.

Tonight we also celebrated another great event----Andrew and I finished reading "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe." Andrew loved the book. Every night he would beg for another chapter, but when we finally finished the last chapter, this is what happened (see below). He burst into uncontrollable tears and bawled his eyes out. He told me he wished we hadn't finished the last chapter. Nothing could be done for him and he finally cried himself to sleep just a few minutes ago. Man, the power of the imagination in the young. It is incredible!!