Nativities

I love nativity sets! They are such a great reminder of what the Christmas season is all about. I have been collecting them for a while (hint, hint!) I thought I would document some of them on here, since I may never actually do this in my scrapbook or journal! This is one we made at Enrichment in Kansas a couple of years ago. It is vinyl on a glass block. I usually put a candle behind it.

This one I bought several years ago at a craft fair in Washington. I love how simple and cute it is.

This one was sent to us last year, I think, by Kendall and Lainie. It is adorable! And doubly so, since Bekah took it upon herself to label each block with its name. If you look closely, you can see that the star block says "star" in her cute kindergarten handwriting!

This one I made forever ago when we were in pilot training. I actuall made three of them, one for us and one for each of the siblings whose name we had that year. Needless to say, by the time I go to stuffing and sewing ours, I was starting to hate Christmas! But the kids love to play with this one and it has been chewed on by all of them.

This one I bought here in Enid in 1995. I love how simple it is and the kids loved to play with this one, too.


More pix on the way!

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Christmas-ness

Here is my first attempt at a homemade wreath! It smells good, but it is a little homely. However, I love the way it looks with the door wrapped in candy cane paper!

You will notice a little guy in the corner of our doorway. Thi is Spike, our garden gargoyle. Ellie decided that once we took out the garden, he needed to watch over our front door. However, he scares a lot of people, me included, with his ferocious face, so we softened him up a little with a Santa hat!

On my birthday, I made my very own gingerbread house. I know, it isn't fancy, but I got to decide where to put every piece of candy! After 4 kids, that is no small feat! (They got to decorate their own. But Ellie still askd if she could help me with hers! I said no. Mean mommy.)

Here is a picture of my attempt at a festive fireplace. Picture it at night with all the candles lit. It is much prettier.

And finally, what the holidays are all about: Playing scrabble apple with your dad, and a 3-foot-long piece of licorice wrapped around your head!

We have had a great time partying like lunatics. My sis and her family just left yesterday to continue their move to Illinois. We are trying to recover. :) We miss all of our other family and friends, but it was great to have some loved ones here for my birthday and Christmas!

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The Christmas Can-can

If you have heard this song by Straight no Chaser, you know how funny and true it is! I thought I was way ahead of schedule for christmas, but I also thought I wasn't that far behind on blogging! :) Just some random Christmas musings:

I love the smell of Christmas! I actually have some pine garland outside that I am going to make wreaths and stuff out of this week so it will smell like Christmas.

I am still hoping against hope for a white Christmas--I think it is going to be 70.

I am very excited about my sis and her family spending the holiday with us on their way to Illinois. It is so much more fun to share family traditions with someone you are actually related to!

I am excited to make my very own gingerbread house on my birthday--my design, my candy, my own choice of sprinkles etc. Silly, but it is the little things that make us happy.

I am very grateful for this season of JOY! Life would be bleak if we didn't have the Savior and I think it's great to celebrate his birth in as many ways as possible. And involving as many different kinds of sugar as possible.

Stay tuned for some pix and more postings. I have missed keeping in touch with all three of you who actually read this! :) Happy baking!

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Camping, Ho!

I must say, it takes a lot of work to get campers out the door, both Scout and Girl. Now I am left in my house with just two small girls and two small girl dogs! I see lots of movie nights in my future, along with manicures and trips to the pool!

BTW, I found the most amazing blog today; well, it is amazing to me because all the things I would like to work on are contained. Where do people find the time? Anyway, it is http://preparednotscared.blogspot.com/ go check it out! I could have spent all day there just browsing and downloading!

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OOPS! Missed these pix.

Here are a couple more pix--I stink at uploading stuff. And I can never get it in the right order! Here is the cake we made for the party--it was yummy, even though raspberries aren't in season and we had to use strawberries.

Here are Vaughn's parents, and me and the new Lt. Col. Pyper.

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Just getting around to posting the promotion pictures!


Here is Vaughn taxiing in from his flight. We did the whole ceremony on the flight line right after he landed. (Anything to get out of wearing blues! :) )









Here is Vaughn right after climbing out of the jet. Is he the sexiest guy, ever, or what?

Our friend, Dean, administering the oath for Lieutenant Colonel.

There are lots of kids in the foreground--we were fortunate enough to have many of our friends come out and celebrate with us!

When a noncom gets promoted, they get punched on the arm, because that is where they wear rank. Dean had all the kids come up and punch Daddy, even though his rank is on his shoulder.

Andy, Rebekah, Vaughn, Ellie, and Rachel

A quick family photo on the very windy flight line

This is a picture of Vaughn with a couple of his BYU ROTC buddies--and Dean, who also went to BYU. We are all here in the same ward. It is a lot of fun!

It was a great day, and we are so proud of Vaughn for all his hard work and his service to our country! Now, when does the raise kick in? :)

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Prom Pix

Here they are! Some pictures of Andy's Junior prom. Here he is with his lovely date:


Helping her into the Corvette:

Andy and Daddy(guess who's taller):

Here is our handsome boy:

Luckily, everyone and everything survived the night intact, including my nerves!

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Priceless!

Tux rental: $82.00
Corsage: $24.95
Dinner for 2: $30.00
The look on your son's face when you pull up in a minivan as he is walking up to his prom date's front door: Priceless.

Sorry, Andy! We just wanted to see them all dressed up, but our timing was really bad. (They got to take his date's dad's corvette to the prom, too! )

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40 things We Like About Daddy

Yes, I am married to a 40-year-old! Let's ignore the fact that I passed that milestone a long time ago! :) I had the kids write down things they liked about their dad and they are so cute I wanted to share them! So here they are:

1. I like your pancakes
2. I like my song that you sing (Bekahroo)
3. I like your cooking
4. I like going to the pool with you
5. I like going to the park with you
6. I like helping you
7. I like your jokes
8. I like your hugs
(Bekah)

9. I like his dinners.
10. I like going on bike rides with him.
11. I like to do sudoku puzzles with him.
12. I like his stinky juice. (aftershave)
13. I like it when he takes me out of school for lunch.
14. I like it when he plays clue with me.
15. I like it when we play "buck-a-roo"(this involves climbing on daddy's back, holding on for dear life, and trying not to get bucked off)
16. I like that he buys me chocolate.
(Ellie)

17. I love his smile.
18. I like to play sports with him.
19. I like when he tucks me into bed at night.
20. I like to eat out with him.
21. I love to sing songs with him in crazy harmony.
22. I like to play Phase 10 with him (even when he beats me).
23. I love him!
24. I love his testimony of the gospel.
(Rachel)

25. I like that you've adapted to accept my unruliness.
26. I like how excited you are for the little things that happen to me.
27. I like your facial hair. It's a prime example for any young boy.
28. I like how you show your faith in the gospel through your life.
29. I like how you raised me. Good job.
30. I like how you put others first.
31. Your enthusiasm spreads throughout the world like swine flu.
32. You go through diet Dr. Pepper like poop through a goose.
(Andy)

33.I love his happy, sunny disposition.
34. I love his soft, sexy kisses. :)
35. I love what an amazing father he is, and that he made me a mother.
36. I love his thoughtfulness.
37. I love his desire to do what's right.
38. I love his backrubs!
39. I love his patience, and that he can always make me laugh.
40. I love the way he loves me!
(me)

there you go! We love Vaughn! Happy birthday, honey! Hope you enjoy your Alaska fishing trip!

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I.Am.Tired

I wonder if I could legally change my name to that, like some famous pop star. That way everyone wouldn't have to ask me how I am, because let's face it--I AM TIRED. I think it is a disease you catch when you have your first baby. I am still looking for a cure. Chocolate helps. So do long, hot baths. And massages. And days off. Of course, I can usually only get my hands on chocolate. Everything else is just a fantasy! *Sigh*. That's all for now. Because...you guessed it! I am tired! :)

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did you think to pray?

I did, but as I was praying for my precious children, I heard one of them screeching at the other one followed by some violent sounding noises. Does this mean I should stop praying and go intervene? Should I pray for divine intervention? Or is this the Lord's way of saying, "Seriously? You think you have 5 minutes for spiritual communion? Get real and get to work, girl!" I just don't know! :)

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a project

So, I have been asked to teach a class at our stake rs conference in May. I am teaching "Today while the sun shines". Other than being a slightly annoying song, the theme is supposed to be things we can do to prepare while we have time. So, I came up with this:

Five things we can do each day:
T: Talk to Heavenly Father--pray
O: Add some OIL to your lamp by doing scripture study
D: DO something for someone else--service with a smile!
A: Be ACTIVE--this has two parts, exercise and being actively grateful, or counting your blessings
Y: Do something for YOU

I figure if you can squeeze these five things into your day, then you can handle pretty much anything that life throws at you. So, to put my money where my mouth is I am going to do this for six weeks, until the conference and keep a journal.

So far, I have found that it is really hard to actually get on my knees in the morning and pray. Usually, because I am launched right into the morning insanity. I try to pray with the kids, and Vaughn if he is here, but to be still for any time at all is really hard at this time of day! I do pray a lot through the day, (usually for help in not killing the kids!) but I am going to work on this.


Anyone else want to add anything? I am sure you all have great ideas! Please share! :)

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Spring Break is Over!

Of course, I celebrated by waking up with a migraine! It was nice to have some quiet. We had a big snowstorm last weekend. Ellie came in on Saturday morning, and said "Is anyone else in shocking surprise, besides me?" It was very cold, though, and not much fun to play in. It is almost all melted and I finally hung up my Easter wreath!

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Funny quote

I saw this sign in Hobby Lobby:

"Inside me is a skinny girl, just screaming to get out, but I can usually shut her up with cookies!" Hee hee! :)

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Question

Does anyone else ever feel like going on strike? Maybe it is just me! I wonder how long it would take my family to notice! :)

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Every Grouchy Inch!

It was Halloween. It was neither dark nor stormy. I, however, was both. After a day of crazy running around to soccer games, laundry, errands, and trying to get to the ward Trunk or Treat on time, I was GROUCHY. My hubby came over during a lull in the insanity (otherwise known as trunk or treat) and asked me how I was. I think I grimaced at him--he told me I was beautiful. (Does he actually believe this or is he in denial?) I said I was feeling very GROUCHY! He came over and kissed me and said, " I love every grouchy inch of you." We went right back to our insane cycle of sugar, costumes, and oh, yes, getting ready for church the next day! But what he said stayed with me.

Later that night when I was in bed, I realized that Vaughn was just showing me, as he often does, Heavenly Father's love through his own. I am sure that God loves me when I am grouchy, but I just don't feel it as easily as when I am not. I am grateful that I have a husband who can see through all my prickliness to the person that is trying to come out! I am so glad that we are loved when we are grouchy, or mean, or selfish or dishonest, because that is what gives me hope! Anyone is lovable when they are pretty and clean and nice. But if I can be loved when I feel at my worst, then I really am worth something. And I am grateful that the Savior is there to help with not just the "major" sins, but with all my little shortcomings and weaknesses that keep me from becoming what He knows I can be. I am glad that He loves every grouchy inch of me. And did I hit the jackpot in husbands, or what?

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Happy Birthday Rachel!

Can't believe that I have another soon to be driver! Rachel turned 15 today! I can't believe how old that makes me feel. But we are blessed to have such a beautiful, amazing, smart, athletic, good, funny, and talented daughter! And yes, when she starts dating in a year, I will be there cleaning my gun!

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Another consideration for my mother of the year nomination...

Yes, I know some of you are shocked, but I definitely don't fall in the mother of the year category :). Mostly because I am a lunatic. Here is yet another example of why I won't be making the nominations list.

Last night I was at the KFC drive thru with the little ones. Vaughn was night flying and Andy and Rachel went to Tulsa for some away games. We waited an inordinately long time for the lady in front of us to get her order. The girls thought they would pass the time by reading all the signs they could see. Good practice, right? It was all going swimmingly, when they decided to play word games with the signs. Like Kmart, became KKart. And Kentucky Fried Chicken became Kenfrucky Fried Fricken. You can see where this is headed, can't you? Well, I could, too, and I tried to head them off at the pass. "Look, what is that sign across the street?" Eventually, the dreaded word tripped off the tongues of my innocent little girls. I HAD to intervene. I gently explained to them that they had inadvertently said a bad word. Ellie asked, "What bad word?" I had to spell it for her. And then tell her to never say it again.

This morning, when I was recounting this hair-raising parental experience for my husband, he looked at me and said,"So, you taught the girls the f-word last night, huh?" AAAGGGGHHHH!

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It's already March!

And my last post was in February! Yikes! However, I am on here more frequently, which was the whole point of making a resolution to try to blog daily. Nothing earth-shaking to share, only that I went down to the temple in OKC today. I also managed to drop in to Target! My favorite store in the whole world! So there you go: the eternal and the purely temporal all in one shot!

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Do Not Disturb

Bekah made me a "do not disturb" sign. Yesterday, she had a friend over from school and they were playing puppies. They made their own "do not disturb" signs so that they could take a "puppy nap". I remarked that I needed one of those. I guess she heard me because tonight she made me my very own sign to hang around my neck. I don't know if any of my children understand the concept of "do not disturb", but I appreciate the thought. Now if I could just get my hands on some noise-canceling headphones...and some chocolate! Oh, heck, I can always get my hands on some chocolate!

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Ellie's Special Day

I know it has been several months, but here are some pix from Ellie's baptism day! Thank you Aunt Trisa for taking beautiful pictures! Ellie and Andy are almost exactly 8 years apart, so Ellie decided to have Andy baptize her. We were so happy to have Grammy and Grandpa Pyper and Halmoni, along with Aunt Trisa and Kaili and Jesse all come!

This is one of my favorite pix ever! It was a great day and I hope she remembers it forever.

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Still resolved!

What did I tell you? I had a good run of two or three days of blogging in a row there! :) My excuse is stake conference. For all of you who live in la-la-land, also known as Utah, we actually have to drive an hour-and-a-half each way to go to stake conference. After driving there Saturday afternoon and then again yesterday, pretty much our whole weekend was gone. It was a good meeting though. I do wonder if we get extra credit for distance? :)

I am trying to catch up on some of my blogging so here is a picture from Halloween. Ellie and Bekah entered the library pumpkin contest. It had to be a character from a library book. Ellie chose the Rainbow Fish and Bekah chose, you guessed it!, Pinkalicious! I thought they turned out really cute, but they didn't win. We sure had a good time making these little guys.

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Quote for the day

I have been reading a lot of C.S. Lewis this year. I always loved the Chronicles, and the Screwtape Letters, but I am amazed at his understanding of our relationship with God, and each other. Here is one of my favorite passages:

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nighmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations....There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations--these are mortal and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit--immortal horrors or everlasting splendours....Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses." C. S.Lewis , "The Weight of Glory"

I wish I could remember this every minute of my life! Especially when I am tired, out of patience, and my children want one more drink of water, or one more spread of the blankie, or "she is copying me"!!! I am afraid I don't treat them with much reverence at that point...I am too busy trying not to kill them! But I guess just not killing them is not enough, I must not WANT to kill them! :) Perhaps reverence will come with the next forty years of experience!

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What is up with curling?

I have no idea how they play it or what the rules are, but if I stumble across olympic curling during the day, I can't turn it off. Maybe because I can't imagine doing anything like that. I imagine myself curling...I would have to yell at someone to get out of the way of the rock, and someone else to pick up their dirty socks off the ice, and someone else to let the other one sweep because I asked her to do it! I guess that is why I am fascinated--it is light years away from my crazy life! I don't think anyone in my house sits as still as the person who pitches? throws? whatever, the rock, ever, unless they are asked to clean something! :)

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RESOLUTION!

So, the whole reason I started this blogging thing was so that I could not feel guilty about not writing in a journal every day. However, I haven't blogged since October! I feel guilty. Anyway, I decided to make a resolution (OK, I know New Year's was like 6 weeks ago, but I have been busy!) to blog every day. Even if it is just a sentence. So that at the end of the year, I can get it printed and have a journal that my grandkids can laugh at in 30 years or so! So, if you show up and I haven't blogged, feel free to send me a guilt-inducing email or reply! Whatever it takes! :) And, getting on here once a day seems a lot easier than running a marathon, or giving up chocolate, or not yelling at my kids--you know I won't keep any of those resolutions!

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Funny quote

"Masquerading as a normal person day after day is exhausting!" Just read this on a website and I just had to laugh, because it is so true! Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, but since I am not normal, how would I know? :)

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