The Greatest Gift

I was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting the Sunday before Christmas. When Brother Tucker asked me, my response was, "I thought bishop's wives were exempt from speaking in Sacrament Meeting." He asked where I had heard that and I told him it was in my handbook. I'd had some thoughts kicking around in my head for sometime and I knew this was the Lord's way of motivating me to write them down before they were lost. I thought the relatives on my side of the family would like to read some of these thoughts so I am posting it here.



The Greatest Gift

As most of you know, I grew up in a small town in Southern Utah, Beaver. My dad is a cattle rancher and runs cattle on land that has been passed down from generation to generation. This ranch is not his alone, but his brothers as well. Because they all work together, I had the unique opportunity of being raised with a lot of cousins, aunts and uncles around me. I have many fond memories of big family dinners, holiday parties and birthday parties, and so many experiences with cousins down at the farm I can't even begin to name them. With all of these get-togethers, came opportunities for storytelling. One of my favorite stories is told by my uncle and it goes like this. . .
Floyd loved Christmas. Every year he would get excited about the presents and everything that goes a long with the holiday. One year, when he was about eight years old, he had a plan. He decided to give himself as a gift to his family. He contracted his mother for help and put the plan in motion. Floyd found a great, big box and wrapped it with paper, adding many sparkling bows to give it just the right touch, then he waited for Christmas morning. The day soon arrived and Floyd could hardly wait. His family had the tradition of eating breakfast before they could open gifts. His mother would put a big sheet over the doorway to the living room so no one could see presents before it was time. After breakfast, Floyd and his mother snuck into the living room. Floyd climbed into his box and his mother put the lid on the box, then his mother pulled the sheet and let everyone in. Floyd waited, anticipating the time he would be opened. He thought about how startled his siblings would be when he would jump up and yell surprise. Floyd waited and waited. He could hear his brothers and sister opening all their presents. He could hear their exclamations of joy as they unwrapped each package. Floyd still waited and waited. He started to get sad, he realized no one was going to open him. It seemed as if no one even noticed the big, huge box in the middle of the room wrapped in bright paper and covered in sparkling bows. As he sat in the box, he started to cry. This was not how he imagined it at all. Finally, he stood up, popping the top off the box, and asked, "Isn't anyone going to open me?"
I love to hear him tell this story because I can just picture this little boy so excited, waiting for the big surprise he has planned, and then sitting inside his present while everyone ignores him. I'm sure his siblings were smart enough to realize he was in that box, and I'm sure they thought it would be funny if they ignored him because sometimes that's what brothers and sisters do. But, as I recently thought about this story, I realized how symbolic it is. We have an older brother who has given us the greatest gift of all, and I think sometimes, not only at Christmastime but throughout the year, we ignore the big, bright shiny package that is right before us. Our Savior gave us the gift of His life. He gave us the atonement.
We celebrate the Savior's birth this time of year, and while that is a wondrous and glorious miracle, His birth is significant because of the acts that followed. President Monson put it perfectly in his address at the Christmas devotional a few weeks ago, he said, " The Savior gave freely to all, and His gifts were of value beyond measure. Throughout His ministry, He blessed the sick, restored sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear, and the halt and lame to walk. He gave cleanliness to the unclean. He restored breath to the lifeless. He gave hope to the despairing and bestowed light in the darkness. "
He gave us His love, His service, and His life.
But His gift did not end there. He broke the bonds of death and returned for us, so that we might all know and understand that life is eternal.
This is the gift that, perhaps, we forget to open. This gift of love that our Heavenly Father gave to us and that His Son performed for us. Opening this gift is easy, we simply have to have faith. We have to believe and then come to know that this gift is true. We have to believe that because of this gift, we can be forgiven, we can be made whole. We have to understand that our burdens can be lighter, that we are never alone and that we are always loved. We can unwrap this gift everyday as we study our scriptures, commune in prayer with our Father, do what He has asked by serving one another, and believing that the atonement, His gift, is a true, tangible, miraculous tool that we can apply to our lives. We have to know that this gift is real and it is there for us to help us experience joy in this life and in the next life when we can rejoice with Him and all those whom we have loved and shared with.
Nephi teaches us about believing in this gift. In 1 Nephi 7 we read the story of Nephi and his brothers when they are asked by the Lord, through Lehi, to return to Jerusalem and enlist Ishmael and his family to join them on their journey. We are familiar with Laman and Lemuel's response to any request of their father, they murmured and groaned, thinking the task was too great. Nephi reminds them, as he reminds all of us in verse 12, "Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him?" Nephi is telling us that we not only have to believe, but we have to know, that Christ can do what He says He can do.
I was reminded of the true blessings of this Gift at Christmastime, three years ago. It was a crazy Christmas season for me that year, as it seems to be most years. I had a two month old baby amidst many other events happening at that time of year. Christmas seemed like a job to me. I was worried about pleasing every one with just the right gift and making sure my family enjoyed all the fun things that come with the season. The problem was, I wasn't having any fun. As the big day grew closer, I started to feel like I just couldn't wait for it to be done. I had completely lost perspective on the purpose of celebrating Christ's birth and had forgotten the blessings He had given me. On December 23, I was driving down to Salt Lake with Lindsey. We were headed to the Joseph Smith building to play our violins at a Christmas concert we participate in every year. As I was driving, it started to snow. I remember thinking, "great, now I have this awful snowstorm to deal with," it seemed like one more dreary, wet thing--kind of like my mood. My cell phone rang, and I answered to hear my mom on the other end. She told me about my cousin who had been rushed up from Beaver to Salt Lake to the hospital. She had just delivered a baby girl and this sweet little baby was likely going to die. (Keep in mind, I had been raised with all of my cousins and they are more like siblings than cousins.) I told her I was already on my way to Salt Lake and I would stop in to visit her.
After the violin concert, Lindsey and I went to the hospital. We entered a very solemn hospital room. Young parents were tightly holding their precious child, cherishing each moment they had with her. Grandparents were watching their children suffer and contemplating the loss of a beautiful granddaughter. A "big sister" was holding the hand of a long awaited little sister. Words can't describe the feelings that were in that room, but my heart will never forget it. I can't remember the words that I said-- what can be said in this situation? But we talked for a little while. After a few moments, I had an overwhelming feeling that it was time to leave. I am told that not soon after we left, the others in the room left for various reasons; leaving mother, father and child alone. As the parents held their tiny treasure in their arms and looked into her face, she looked up and smiled at them and then peacefully left this earthly life.
When I walked out of that hospital room, I had a new perspective. The falling snow was no longer dreary but very peaceful. The busy city actually seemed quiet and at rest as the snow wrapped it in a blanket. The drive was no longer a bother, but an opportunity to spend time with my daughter. The frenetic scramble to give gifts was no longer a burden, but an opportunity to show love.
I returned home and hugged my children close to me, grateful that I could share this glorious season with them. I kissed my husband, thanking him for all he does. I peeked in on them later as they peacefully slept and studied their angelic faces. I sat up that night, looking at the twinkling lights, the brightly wrapped packages, and the stockings hung by the fireplace. Then I went to my knees and thanked my Father for allowing me to be part of such a beautiful and sacred experience. For teaching me a lesson that I needed to learn. And, most importantly, for reminding me what Christmas is all about. I thanked Him for the greatest gift, the gift of the Atonement that allows me to repent, to love, to understand, and to return to Him and to live with Him as part of an eternal family.
I close with the final thoughts of President Monson in the Christmas devotional, " With the pure love of Christ, let us walk in His footsteps as we approach the season celebrating His birth. As we do so, let us remember that He still lives and continues to be the Light of the World, who promised, “He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”5

More Gingerbread

We had a holiday season full of gingerbread. This kind is not the flavorful cookie that melts in your mouth, bringing back memories of Christmases gone by. This gingerbread is the musical type that brings a smile to the face of those who watch. The three girls participated in Grandma Marcia's singing group called The Gingerbread Kids. They spent a lot of time during the Christmas season singing at various locations throughout the Davis County area with a final performance at Temple Square.

Each location was fun for the girls but singing at Temple Square is always a magical experience. It was their final performance so they went all out. Savannah was the most fun to watch because she really got into the dancing especially on Feliz Navidad. I'm pretty sure that she added a few dance moves of her own because I noticed she was the only one spinning in a circle everytime the chorus came up. Savannah also sang at the microphone for the song "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth," which was very fitting as she is missing two front teeth. Lindsey was quite a bit more reserved in her dancing but her voice was beautiful and it was fun to watch her. She says this is her last year because she is too old! Heather has always been a performer and she shines when she is on stage. She had a couple of solos this year and she did a great job. The girls really enjoyed singing and of course they love the treats that Grandma provides at each performance.

We counted their performance at Temple Square as Family Home Evening and made a night of it. After their performance, we went to the Family History Library. Luke had missed the visit to the library with his Scout troop so he needed to go to earn his merit badge. We ended up spending quite a bit of time there. James had fun looking up his ancestors and following the lines. There is actually a pioneer play area for the kids so they had a great time playing make-believe. Once we had finished up there, we went to the Lion House Pantry for dinner. The kids enjoyed picking out their own dessert. When we were full beyond comfort, we went outside to look at the lights. Temple Square is always a magical place at Christmastime. We are blessed to live so close that we can enjoy the beauty of this sacred place.

Gingerbread Houses

Have you ever wondered what your kitchen looks like after 14 girls get together to make gingerbread houses? We don't have to wonder anymore. Lindsey had a gingerbread house party for her friends this year (this was in lieu of a Christmas gift). A couple of days before the party, I baked and I baked and I baked. (If anyone needs pointers on gingerbread, I've had a crash course). We had gingerbread piled around the kitchen for a couple of days because it works better if the gingerbread has dried out. My kids all said the house smelled great, I'm hoping that is the memory they keep and not the memory of the mess.

Friday after school, the girls showed up ready to decorate. I had assembled the houses except for the roof. I waited because the roof has to be held while it dries. I went around the room and put the roofs on and the girls held it together. They did look a little funny all sitting and holding their roofs on for about ten minutes but they didn't seem to mind, they found plenty to talk about. The girls got quite creative when it came time to decorate. Each house was very unique. It was fun to watch them working and talking. I even got to make a house which I haven't done in years.

Luke's Christmas Party

This year we tried something different, the older kids get to host a Christmas party. Luke had his last night. We had about twenty kids, boys and girls. This was the first official boy/girl party at our house. (The Halloween parties have both sexes but there are so many kids at different ages that it doesn't count.) I think it was a success.

We started the night with a taco bar. I decided that would be fun and easy, which it was. I had also set up the chocolate fountain. That was a big hit!! The kids had a lot of fun gathering around the fountain, eating and talking. After a rousing game of Christmas Pictionary, we did a white elephant gift exchange. Once the rules were explained, the kids had at it. There were many chaotic moments but overall it was a lot of fun. I think most of the kids liked their final gift. There is always going to be the disappointing gifts that no one wants but we only had a couple of those.

I had to teach my kids what a white elephant gift is. There have been a couple of parties this season where the kids have had to take a white elephant gift. The first time, Heather came downstairs with a toothpaste box, inside was two sticks of gum and three Crystal Light packets (the kind you add to water bottles), she asked me to help her wrap it. I took her back upstairs and gave her some other options to choose from for possible gifts. The next day Luke came and asked if he could wrap up an old dirty sock or a dirty rag for a gift. Once again, I explained to him that a white elephant gift is supposed to be creative junk or inexpensive item, not dirty laundry. He came up with the idea of wrapping two batteries with a note that said, "toy not included." I thought that was pretty clever so I let him go with it, (we did add a giant candybar, however.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

This week seems to have been the beginning of the marathon that I believe ends on January 2, 2010! Thanksgiving dinner was planned to be at my house with my parents and my aunt Marie attending along with my sister-in-law, LeAnne, and her girls (my brother had to work.) Thanksgiving means nearly a week of planning and cooking. I actually enjoy preparing Thanksgiving. My sister and I usually talk on the phone and compare recipes that we are going to try. This year, it seems to have snuck up on us because the weekend before, I went to Beaver to help celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary--Happy Anniversary. Before I knew it, it was time to start unthawing the turkey.

We had a great Thanksgiving day. It was pleasant and everyone stuffed themselves, then stuffed themselves again. My favorite part is going around the table and sharing what everyone is thankful for. I always enjoy hearing what the kids have to say. We usually get answers that range from family to toilet paper and everything in between. We did have a brief moment where James and Marie got in a bit of a political discussion, those who know these two can only imagine how that went, other than that, dinner was a success.

After the dishes were cleared, the sale ads were brought out. I was leaning towards not shopping on Friday but Lindsey asked what Black Friday was. After explaining the event to her, she declared that we must participate. My mom, of course, was looking forward to it. So, at 4:30 am, I began my day of shopping and standing in line. My day of shopping did not end until 6:30 pm that night with a two hour visit to Smith & Edwards with my dad. Those that are from Beaver, and have not been to Smith and Edwards, imagine a Variety Store, blown up 100 times. I did enjoy spending the time with my dad and I did find some good bargains.

Saturday was spent bringing in the Christmas decorations and wrapping the loot from Friday. Of course, time was taken out to stress over and eventually enjoy the BYU- U of U football game. Since that time, I have been decorating, cleaning, shopping, and starting to stress over Christmas. I want to enjoy the holidays, I really do, but I think I'll breathe a sigh of relief on January 2, 2010.

Matthew falls down and "breaks" his head!

Last Sunday I was talking on the phone with my mom when the kids came in and told me something was wrong with Matthew. I turned around and was greeted with the sight of blood pouring down the back of his head and soaking his pajamas. I quickly hung up the phone and tried not to panic. James was at tithing settlement so I was on my own (or so I thought). I took Matthew upstairs and attempted to clean his head so I could evaluate the damage. The kids told me he had been jumping on the chairs in the theatre and fell back, banging his head on a cup resting in a cupholder. The wound began to swell quickly and I was afraid there might be glass in it. The kids brought me the cup, however, and it was unbroken. I was bundling him and myself up to take him to the doctor when I had an impression to go next door and get my neighbor. My next door neighbor is a nurse. I rushed out in the blizzard and found Sister Jacobs. Her sister-in-law happened to be visiting her and is also a nurse. They agreed to come help. They arrived with super glue in hand. They quickly went to work cleaning the wound and gluing it up. I valiantly held Matthew's head as still as possible and tried to keep my composure from breaking down. We had a little mishap with the glue, a little too much was applied to the wound and seeped out into his hair, but other than that, he was as good as new. I was so grateful for loving neighbors who are so willing to help whenever we call and I was grateful for being watched over while James was away.



Matthew is doing great. He still has a goober of super glue on the back of his head. He won't let me touch it to get it out but he did finally let me wash his hair. I've decided we'll wait until the hair grows a bit and cut it out, in the meantime, he'll wear a hat. "No more Matthew's jumping on the bed (or chair, or anywhere)!"

Savannah Loses Her First Tooth

Savannah has been telling us for some time now that her tooth was "wiggley". This week it finally came out! I was putting away laundry and she came running to me to tell me that she had pulled out her wiggly tooth. Unfortunately, in her excitement, she dropped her tooth and we were unable to locate. The good news is, the tooth fairy is very willing to accept notes explaining such mishaps. The good fairy that she is, left Savannah a note explaining she was able to locate the tooth because, after all, she is the tooth fairy. In exchange for the fresh tooth, a crisp dollar bill (I guess you have to count for inflation, I used to get a nickel) was left under Savannah's pillow.

Trip to San Diego

The last week of the kids' vacation, Luke, Lindsey and I took a trip to San Diego. It was a different experience travelling with the older kids as compared to the younger ones. We left early on Monday morning and arrived in San Diego around lunchtime. Our first stop was to pick up a rental car. Luke was anxious to see what car we would get. He was hoping for a Mustang and was a little disappointed when a generic four door arrived. I cheered when the generic car came, I didn't want to be responsible for a Mustang.

Thank goodness for Garmin!! I have to say, the GPS systems are one of the greatest inventions of our time. It is so nice to be able to look up places and get directions right in your own car. I only wish we would have had one in the mission field, we would have saved a lot of time (of course, how would we have mounted it to a bike.) After leaving the carlot, we found our way to the Air and Space Museum. We spent the afternoon there. They had a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit that Jame and I actually saw in Rome. It was fun to see it with the kids. Da Vinci really was an amazing man with an incredible mind. Aside from his artwork, his inventions were ingenious for their time. The kids got to experience a flight simulator. I'd like to say they were good, but they weren't. I don't think I'll be flying with them at the wheel any day soon. I could watch them inside the simulator on a monitor. I could always tell when they were upside down because Lindsey's hair would stick straight up and she'd fall towards to belts. They said it was fun and I thought it was funny to watch them.

We headed to our motel later that evening. James had booked us in a Marriott with his reward points. It was on Coronodo Island. Island means you have to drive over a big bridge to get to it. I had flashbacks of living in Portland and having to drive over those bridges all the time. I told the kids I was a little bridgeaphobic. Everytime I would drive over those Portland bridges with the kids buckled in their seatbelts, I would worry about falling off the bridge and not knowing which kid to try to save. They thought I was nuts. I guess you have to be a mom to understand. After they laughed at me, I told them since they could unbuckle their own belts and swim, they were on their own if we fell off the bridge.



SeaWorld was our first destination the next day. We had a lot of fun there. Luke went on all the rides he had been afraid to go on when we went years earlier. In fact, because the park was so uncrowded, he went on them a few times. In the beginning, the kids weren't interested in seeing the shows because they were "dumb". (I discovered that 'dumb' and 'stupid' are common words in a pre-teen language, I immediately banned those words from the rest of the trip.) After the sea lion show, they were singing a different tune, Luke was actually upset when we were late to the Pet Show. Of course, Shamu is always fantastic to see. Luke and Lindsey sat in the splash zone and I took pictures from the dry zone. We headed back to the motel as the park closed so the kids could splash some more in the pool.




The next day we headed to the San Diego Zoo. This was probably my favorite place that we went (once we got through the snake house!) I had a great time walking with the kids and talking with them. It was a very relaxing atmosphere. Lindsey had set a personal goal to take a picture of every animal that we saw. Her camera battery ran out about half-way through so I gave her my camera. The zoo is so big, we weren't able to see everything but that was OK. The time that we spent together there was the real adventure.


After leaving the zoo, we went to the Science Museum. They were scheduled to have a planetarium show later that evening and then have telescopes set up for star gazing. We had a couple of hours before the show started and the kids used that time to explore the museum. They had a blast going through all of the projects. We got some good science fair ideas. Their favorite area was a room where a recorder would record the room for about five seconds then play the recording backward, forward, backward quickly and forward slowly. We did that over and over and over and over (you get the picture). When the show started, we headed into the planetarium. The lecturer was a college professor from San Diego. He told us how to find different constellations and then dove into an in-depth lecture on super novas and what happens when they collapse. It was everything and more that I could ever want to know about collapsing stars. I had to laugh though because I could tell the kids were really bored and I told them that was what a lot of college classes were like. I told them how I used to fall asleep in one of my Book of Mormon classes everytime. I took that class when I was a janitor at 3:00 am, and no matter how hard I tried, I would fall asleep in his class. They thought that was really funny and they were surprised I took Book of Mormon classes in college.


Our final activity before heading home was LegoLand. We had been there before when the kids were younger. There is a lot to do for younger kids and not so much to do for older kids but they had fun anyway. Luke has always been a fan of Legos so he loves seeing all of the things they build. We did go on a new ride called the Gauntlet. They sit you in seats and you choose what level you want (we chose the highest), then a hydraulic arm flips you around, upside down, and every which way. It was the craziest ride I've ever been on. If anything was freely floating around in my head, it's been shoved against something now. Just to give you and idea, before you can go on the highest level, you have to remove all jewelry and put your hair in a ponytail, I've never been on a ride that required that. Because the park wasn't crowded, we were able to enjoy this torture experience a few times. I have to chuckle when I think that we pay money to do these things to ourselves. The miniature villages are always fascinating to see. They actually have the new World Trade Center built in the New York City. I found that amusing, since the real one is still a big hole in the ground. Luke was able to get some fun Lego sets to bring home and we actually got free sets when we left the park because we agreed to do a survey.

Overall, it was a great time that we spent together. I realized how fast my kids are growing up. It wasn't long ago that Luke and Lindsey were running through the water park at LegoLand and going on all the rides that they are now too big to fit on! I think they had fun going together. They had a few power struggles along the way but most of the time they were good friends.

Halloweentime at the Andersons

Halloween this year was full of many fun activities. I think we kicked off the season with a party at Mark and Elizabeth's house. The kids look forward to going to Logan to spend time with their cousins. Elizabeth always does an outstanding job hosting the party. She goes above and beyond!! We feasted on skeleton bones, seven feet deep bean dip, witches brew and many other delicious, creepy treats. Thanks to Mark and Elizabeth for hosting us, it was a lot of fun!

Our next big activity was the annual Anderson Halloween Party. This party seems to grow each year. I think that is mostly due to the fact that we keep switching wards, even though we never move. With each new ward, we get to meet a lot of new friends, this means the invitation list grows longer and longer. I think our biggest concern now is that we'll accidentally leave someone out. It was nice to have the kids home from school. They helped a lot with the invitations, party planning and especially, cleaning the house. The night arrived and we had about fifty to sixty kids come. I think the night was made for me when I had a couple of kids tell me that they look forward to this party more than Halloween itself! That makes it all worth it. The hardest part about this party is finding an appropriate "spooky" movie to watch. We finally settled on Gremlins. We had to use the Clearplay filter because those 80's movies seem to have a lot of bad language that I either blocked out or didn't pay attention. The kids said the filter cut out some of the best parts, like when the gremlin explodes in the microwave, but other than that, it was a hit. I already have an idea for next year, I'll have to work on it early to make sure we can reserve it for that night.

Halloween day was full of fun. Our ward had a trunk or treat that started at 4:00 pm. I was skeptic at first because it seemed to be one more thing to worry about but it actually turned out to be a fun way to start the trick-or-treating. You got to see everyone's costumes and talk with the kids for a longer period of time before they came to your door.
My kids all picked out their own costumes this year. Matthew wanted to be a dinosaur and my sister, Melinda, was gracious enough to send us her old costume. (I guess I should say Brock was gracious enough to part with his old costume.) Savannah and Lindsey were both witches. Heather was a phantom with a block cloth covering her face so no one would know who she was. Luke was a jawa from the Star Wars movie. I made him a cloak and put lights in the front for eyes. It turned out pretty good.

After trunk or treat, we met back at our house for Stew in a Pumpkin and Ghost rolls. It's always nice to fill their bellies with a warm meal before they head out to gather candy. Luke's friends came over to pick him up and some of them had dinner with us. Their plan was to trick-or-treat all night. Lindsey, Savannah, Heather, Matthew and I headed out a little later. Matthew had a great time at first. As the night wore on, he got a little grouchy. He would insist on ringing the doorbell and if someone came to the door before he could ring it he would start to cry. The poor person thought it was because of the candy and would give him extra to help him feel better. I'm not sure if he was really upset about the doorbell, or if he figured out a system to get extra candy. Savannah and Matthew and I headed back early, Heather and Lindsey found friends to hook up with. Savannah had as much fun handing out candy as she did trick-or-treating. Luke and his friends actually got back before Lindsey and Heather. They dumped their candy on the floor and started trading pieces. Lindsey and Heather arrived and joined in. Before I knew it, my floor was covered with candy. Of course, this didn't last long because kids don't usually leave candy around, especially when Matthew is in sight. Halloween is one of our favorite holidays and this year was no exception.

Matthew is Finally Three

Matthew, I think, has been looking forward to his birthday more than anyone. He watched Luke's, Mom's, and Savannah's birthdays, wondering when his was going to come. He fully expected breakfast in bed, presents, and cake; and he had opinions about what he wanted for all of them. October 28th finally arrived for him.

Grandma Marcia and Grandpa Dan started his birthday off early when they brought his presents out on Monday. Grandma had found a card that, when opened, said, "Matthew!!" then sang a heartfelt rendition of 'Happy Birthday.' We could have called it good right then and there. He wasn't interested in anymore presents. He just opened that card over and over (and over), giggling each time. The other kids kept trying to hand him presents but he wasn't done enjoying the card. When he finally put the card down, he opened gifts to find a car set and a set of dinosaurs. Both of these items are at the top of his list!

The morning of his birthday, Matt had breakfast in bed with Savannah. I'm not sure how she got in on this again, but she did. Then we openend presents. He got more cars from Grandma Yardley and a big truck, stuffed animal, and a fun Leapfrog toy that helps teach him how to write. All of his gifts were a lot of fun for him. For dinner he requested pizza which was easy to do. Lindsey made his birthday cake for him. I think she had a lot of fun doing it and she did a great job! Matthew loved his race track cake. He did make her rearrange the cars so that his favorite was in first place.


I can't believe Matthew is already three. It seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital and getting the kids ready to trick or treat. I remember people telling me when Luke and Lindsey were babies, how fast they grow up. You never believe them when you're a young mother but it sure is true. I often want to slow the clock down and enjoy these moments a little longer.

Lindsey goes to Alaska

Lindsey's trip to Alaska, in her own words. . .

Sweet Savannah Turns 6

October 22 was the day Savannah was born, six years ago. Savannah was very excited for her birthday this year. She kept counting down the days. I kept telling her she had to stay five forever because she was so sweet. Her response would be, "Can I stay six forever, I want to have one more birthday." Well, that day came and she is now six and still just as sweet.

Savannah woke up to breakfast in bed. Her breakfast of choice was blueberry pancakes. Lest you think I am an overly ambitious mom making blueberry pancakes early in the morning, I'll let you in on a secret--you can buy a big bag of frozen blueberry pancakes at Wal-Mart and they are delicious, and the best part is they are ready to eat in one minute!! Anyhow, after breakfast we had presents. Savannah wanted the barbies from the new Three Musketeer movie. Between mom and dad and Grandma and Grandpa Yardley, she got a few of them. I think one of her favorite presents was a Belle music box Heather and I were able to get at Disneyland without Savannah knowing it. Savannah saw it there and really wanted it. Heather kept her occupied in one store while I purchased it. Heather was really excited to give it to her. That night we had the traditional birthday dinner. Savannah picked pot roast with all the trimmings. We also made a lemon blueberry cake. This was the first birthday cake that was eaten entirely. I usually throw away more than half the cake because no one really likes cake. I'll put the recipe up on this blog. Thanks to Nicole and mom for the cake mix recipe books that have opened my eyes to a whole new world of cakes!


Savannah had a party with her friends a little later in the week. She wanted to have a "Butterfly" party. She invited some school friends and friends from the ward. They made big butterflies out of posterboard, played a butterfly treasure hunt, painted butterflies, and hit the piniata. Of course, this was all topped off with cake, ice cream, and presents. Her cake was a combination of ducks and butterflies because those are her favorite things. She says it was her best birthday ever. I'm sure that will be her thought until next October 22nd.

Football Champions

This fall Luke tried something new, flag football. He signed up with his cousin, Bradley. Luke and Bradley are just a couple of months apart in age. Bradley had played before for the coach they were assigned to. It turned out to be a great season!! Flag football is quite a bit different from regular football. I think one of the biggest differences is the sportsmanship rule. Each game, the teams earn a certain number of sportsmaship points, these points can be awarded or taken away based on the actions of not only the players and coaches, but also the parents on the sidelines. If a team doesn't have a requisite number of points at the end of the season, they are not allowed to go to the playoffs. The downage is also a little different, and of course there is no tackling, but the basic idea of the game is the same.

The first day we showed up to practice, the coach greeted them with a smile and wanted all the kids to get to know each other. It was such an opposite experience from the one he had playing tackle football. The team had a phenomenal season. In fact, they went undefeated! The championship game was last night. It was quite a nailbiter, with the drama coming down to the last seconds. It is always fun to watch a final game where the teams are closely matched but it can be stressful too. The Pirates (Luke's team) was finally able to score in the 4th quarter and then held the opposing team at their ten yard line the last minute of the game. The Pirates emerged as champions and were awarded their trophies


We all thoroughly enjoyed watching Luke and Bradley play together. Bradley is quite the runner and managed many interceptions and touchdowns through the season. Luke was a blocker most of the season but was able to try out other positions as well. One of the highlights of the season was seeing Luke intercept a ball that was headed for a touchdown. It is always fun to see the look on your kid's face when they are loving what they are doing. Thanks to Aunt Ruthie for making the call to tell us about the football signups at the beginning of the season. If she wouldn't have called, we would have missed out on a great experience.

The Wildest Ride in the West. . .

Savannah, Heather, and I recently returned from a trip to Disneyland. The favorite ride of both of the girls was Big Thunder Mountain. In preparation for the ride, the castmember (as all workers at Disneyland are titled) reminds the passengers to "hang onto your hats and glasses because this here is the wildest ride in the west!" I thought that statement was an appropriate summary for our trip. Our trip had a lot of ups and downs, crazy turns, adrenaline rushes, and ended with a feeling of excitement and satisfaction.

Our first day on the park was crowded but we managed to find the lines that were the shortest. We met some princesses and fairies and a few other Disney friends. Savannah was actually big enough to try some of the rides that she hadn't been able to enjoy before.
A big downer was when Heather caught her finger on a rope climb at Tarzan's house and pulled the skin off of the tip. We took her to the First Aid office. The doctor (that's right, there actually is a Disney doctor) fixed her finger right up with some ointment and a band-aid, and gave Heather a fastpass to any ride at the park. This was a great upper because the lines were so long that day that we hadn't gotten on too many major rides. She picked Splash Mountain so we headed that way. Savannah sat in front of me and made sure I had my arms around her the entire time. Both girls loved this ride and we were able to enjoy it a few more times over the next few days. That evening was the fireworks show. It was spectacular. Because it is Halloweentime, the show is centered around the Disney villians and saltier characters. This was one of my favorite times on the trip. The girls both fell asleep before it started, they were still kind of out of it when I woke them up to watch it so I don't think they enjoyed it nearly as much as I did.

The next day we tried out the Matterhorn. This was a ride neither of the girls had been on. They loved it!! Because the park was less crowded we were able to go a few times on this ride as wekk. Near the Matterhorn was a platform where you could meet some of Disey's villians. When we started in the line they had Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and Snow White's wicked stepmother. Right before we got to the front, Jafar showed up and the Old Hag (also from Snow White). Savannah wanted nothing to do with these characters and hid behind me while Heather made introductions. Unfortunately, Jafar noticed her and tried to make contact. Savannah started screaming and didn't know where to go because on both sides of her were people she did not want to meet. I finally got her off the platform where I could wipe away the tears and help her calm down. I was surprised that she would be so afraid of them.

Disney's California was also fun. I like it because it is a little slower paced with all of the shows, etc. In Bugland, Heather had another accident when she slid down a rock and scraped up both of her elbows. Who would have thought you could get so many injuries at Disneyland. Savannah wasn't tall enough to ride the biggest roller coaster and that made her quite sad.
We did get to ride the new 3-D Toy Story Ride which is fantastic! There is no fastpass for this ride but the wait is worth it. Savannah's favorite ride was Soarin' California. We also had fun walking through the gardens. There was a candy corn theme in the gardens, the various plants all produced candy corn. It was cute.

Wednesday we woke to rain. It had been a little chilly the other days and the girls hadn't been able to swim in the pool (a favorite past time whenever we travel). I told them we wouldn't be able to that night either if it didn't stop raining. I noticed Heather saying a little prayer after I mentioned this. Despite the rain, this was probably our most fun day at the park. The lines were short and we were able to see and do quite a few things. I think one of the favorites of this day was in Tomorrowland where you visit the house of the future. We all got a kick out of seeing the TV system that was set up just like ours at home. I loved the kitchen, it had so many nifty things in it like a digital cookbook that shows up on your counter and a digital calendar and message board to keep track of schedules, etc. I told James he would have to start researching because I want some of those things in my kitchen! We visited Pixie Hollow again to meet more of the fairies. Heather has read many of the Pixie Hollow book series so she was excited to see some of the characters she had read about. We tried to track down Belle for Savannah but we were unsucessful. In fact, we spent much of the trip trying to meet her but Disneyland has a Princess Area where you line up to meet the princesses. The downfall to this system is they can't (or won't) tell you what time certain princesses will be there "they can guarantee that you will meet three princesses but they can't guarantee which ones they will be." I think I became more frustrated than Savannah did. In the end, she was happy to let me sign "Belle" in her book. Both girls were pretty impressed with my princess handwriting. On our way to the airport, they had me fill up their books with signatures of other characters we hadn't met. After raining the entire day, as we headed back to the motel, the clouds cleared up and the rain stopped. As you can guess, we spent the evening at the swimming pool. I'm always amazed at the faith of a child.

Our final day at the park was spent seeing some shows and meeting characters with a final ride on Big Thunder Mountain. We saw Aladdin in the big theatre at the California park. It was amazing! It was like watching a mini-broadway production. The girls were mesmerized. We saw the talking turtle next and girls were not impressed. Apparently, if my girls don't get picked to talk to the turtle, they don't want anything to do with him. I was surprised by their attitude and recognized it was getting time to leave because they must be tired if their upset that a cartoon turtle won't talk to them. We headed to the airport later that evening and flew back home. I was glad that James had pushed me into taking this trip with the girls. We had a lot of fun and made many memories. One thing I did learn while I was with them is that they get excited to go on the trip but they are just as excited to go home. It was nice to see the love they have for their siblings and how much they miss them and that at the end of the day, "there's no place like home."