Sunday, December 12, 2010

Santa's Toy Shop In Progress.....December 7-12, 2010

This year Sam and I decided to make Hadlie an American Girl doll bunk bed for Christmas. Sam made the bunk bed to match the bed he made for Hadlie. Then, I made the bedding for the bunk bed. Our friends, Carrie and Chon, made a bed for their daughter also. So, Chon and Sam built the beds together and Carrie and I sewed the bedding together.

I think Carrie and I were OVERLY EXCITED about this project. It turned out SO SO SO CUTE! We were both very proud of ourselves. The beds turned out better than expected.

I actually would LOVE to start selling them. They were a lot of fun to make. Of course, the first time you make something always takes the longest but they are DARLING, if I do say so myself.

Sam putting the bed together...

Carrie and I sewing.
We got everything we need: machines, sizzors, thread, material, stuffing, and of course, DIET COKE! :)



Ta Da! The Final Result....
(Isn't it so cute?)


Do We Work Out?.......December 4, 2010

I thought this was so funny...

I was upstairs making cakes for Sam's birthday. I went down stairs to get some power sugar and Sam, Hadlie, and Daxton were all down stairs working out to P90X! Sam got the kids all set up with weights and they were all lifting weights, building their arms and backs with the P90X dude. I thought it was really cute! After, Daxton came up stairs, flexed his arm muscle, and said: "Mom, look how big my muscle is!" What a stud!

So, do we work out? Yes, we ALL work out! Kids and all! :) Hopefully, we are setting good examples for our kids. I hope they will continue to keep active their entire lives. Keep up the great work Hadlie and Daxton!

Happy Birthday Sam Dawg......December 4, 2010

Happy Birthday, it's your Birthday! How does it feel to be 35, honey?
Me and the kids just want you to know how thankful we are to have you! We hope you have a wonderful birthday! We hope this next year brings you lots of happiness and more gray hair to go with all that happiness too. Happy Birthday! We love you!

Love-

Jen and kids
This card is from Daxton, isn't he sweet?

The Parties:
We did a lot of fun things for Sam's birthday. We invited our families and some friends to go out to lunch at the Brick Oven on Saturday. Then, the next day, Sunday, we had our friends over for cake and ice cream and we played cards. We had a great time!
Saturday:
Sam at the Brick Oven.
Our friend, Carrie, made Sam his favorite treat, her cookies.
She decorated them super cute for his Birthday.

Our friends, the Choi's and Sharps...
Meghan, Dave, and family...
Kayla, Tim, and family....
Kagen, Hadlie, friends, and family....
Me and the birthday boy....
Stacey and Ryan!
Sunday:
Sunday when we got home from church we got a knock on the door. Someone, (our neighbors two doors down), tied a HUGE birthday balloon to a streamer and tied it to our front door. It ran high in the sky giving Sam a shout out for his birthday. It was the cutest idea.
Thank you Larsen's!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAM! We love you!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Night of Repentance......December 1, 2010

Tonight I had to repent for my venting session yesterday of Bah Humbug. I am in the Young Women's in my ward and tonight we made the a Christmas gift for the widows in our neighborhood, we put together fruit baskets. We met at the church, put the baskets together, then we headed to four ladies homes in our ward.

We all gathered around their door, sang Christmas carols to them, and delivered our fruit baskets. I didn't think much of it until I saw tears rolling down one of ladies cheeks. I couldn't help but cry myself. It touched me deeply. All of the ladies thanked us and told us how much we made their day. (You forget how lonely some people are and just a simple act like singing them a song can brighten their day and pierce their soul.)

After Young Women's was over I thanked Heavenly Father for that experience. It helped me refocus on the real meaning of Christmas and what gift giving is all about. It's all about love.

It's not about shopping for the best deal or not best deal. It's not about the crazy things people say to you. It's not about the long endless lines. It's not about the angry customers. It's all about giving the ones you love something they love. Even if it's small to you, it may mean the world to them.

It helped me reflect why we celebrate Christmas. It help me remember the greatest gift given to man kind, the sacrifice of the Savior. I am grateful for him and for all that he has given me. I am also grateful for one of my biggest gifts, my sweet kiddos. So, even if I have to stand in long lines with mad people or even if I have to pay full price for something, I should be grateful to have four beautiful children that I can give to. They give and bring much happiness to me daily.

I guess I got my wish..... I was haunted by the spirit of Christmas tonight! Merry Christmas!