December 2012

December flew in like a lion. While we were at church the first Sunday, the wind blew down probably half of our fence along the back. I don't want the kids to get loose, plus they have a big dog next door, so hopefully we can get it fixed soon. Who knows because the sharing neighbor is a hermit. At least the rest of the month was better.  Some things we did are:

Decorate a gingerbread house,

Make crafts at the library,

Take Aunt Lisa out for her birthday,

Look at Christmas trees,

And visit Santa Claus!

One of my favorite things we did was get a babysitter and go on a double date with Scott's parents to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert. The special guests were Alfie Boe, an English opera singer, and Tom Brokaw, a news anchor and author.  The theme of the show was World War 2 and they had dancers dressed up like that era. Tom Brokaw told a story of how the German children always went up to our military men and asked for candy. One guy split a piece of gum with 8 kids. He decided it would be a worthy cause to start a candy charity for the German children. So with help from home, he organized many pounds of candy to be dropped from airplanes via handkerchiefs acting as parachutes holding the candy to these sweet children. The tabernacle then dropped several parachutes with candy onto the captive audience! Wow, I had no idea that building could do special effects. To top off the show, the 90 year old veteran who created the original candy charity, emerged from behind a silky curtain dropped from the ceiling. My in-laws scored some awesome tickets. We were on row 20 on the ground in the center. They were nice to share their tickets with us.

We drove through Thanksgiving Point Lights with Scott's brother Bryan's family and parents.

Grandparent visits were next on the list. Oops, I forgot to snap a photo of Grandma Hebdon.

Grandma Paxton

G & G Bjarnson

Makayla had Polar Express pajama party day at school.

My mom's extended family had a big Hebdon party where Mrs. Claus came to visit.



My parents with their cousins.

My college roommates from SUU, 11 years ago, came over with their families for a holiday party.

2001

2012

 Our stake center had a live nativity for a cold but good experience.

The Bjarnsons got together for Christmas Eve dinner by candelight and the nativity performance. When you have 2 little girls who want to be Mary, sometimes you just let them both be her.

Santa Claus came to town.  We stayed home for a quiet relaxing day and let the kids play.

Outside was my kids favorite destination.

Merry Christmas to all and cheers for a great year ahead!

 

November 2012

First off, I would like to vent. I ran out of my 1 Gig picture space on blogger's host, picasa.  After researching for 2 hours and trying screencast.com for another 3 hours as an alternate blog picture host, they wouldn't upload in my final preview. I am now having to pay monthly for publishing pictures on my blog. What a rip off, but it is still worth it to me to be able to keep my memories alive.

Well, November started out with good weather and we quickly visited the zoo.  We had a great time there and good thing we did, because the next day it snowed, and snowed, and snowed into the whole weekend. We had a record amount of snowfall all at once, 27" for my area. Holy cow! You could hardly walk outside!

We ended up going on a tour of my dad's work at Hexcel that same weekend. Driving from one side of the valley to the other in the storm was pretty white knuckle. I am glad we were safe. Cameras are not allowed on the property, nor are cellphones. Hexcel is worldwide and they make graphite fiber which is used in rocket boosters, airplane propellers, skis, and wind turbines. And this is the first time Hexcel has done an open house in 10 years, so we wanted to go.

I have been taking the kids to the library more. We go to preschool art/storytime most weeks and only 3-5 year olds are allowed, so Lincs and I keep each other company during the class. He is a little stinker and thinks he has to play in the drinking fountains the whole time and screams when I take him away.

We went to a magic show also at the library and Makayla was picked to be a special helper. She was elated to participate and earn a free book and a magic wand. 

My parents came over for dinner and a movie. My kids adore their grandparents!

We had some drama with Home Depot.  We ordered a new sliding door the beginning of September, including 3 measurements and a really long meeting with the installer. Our installation deadline, October 6th, rolled uneventfully around, and nothing. No phone calls, emails, no installation, etc. We were confused by the situation. If you sign a contract, shouldn't it be upheld? So Scott was on the phone with them most of Monday, October 8th and it turned out the order had not even been submitted. Really? Our door was measured wrong after 3 times. It is 9 feet wide, and they don't make 2 panel doors in 9 feet, only 8 feet. So it had to be a 3 panel door which shot the price up from the agreed $2,100 to $3,600! No way were we paying an extra $1,500, especially with a signed contract, and their lack of communication for a month. So Scott kept going higher and higher until he was in communication with the head of Home Depot's western USA Home Installation Services. Well, they got it taken care of, the 3 panel door for the same price. Only they ended up ordering the wrong door. So it opened from the very edge instead of the middle. so you had to go behind the curtain to go outside, and kids nearly fell off the steps doing that. But the third and final time, they got it right. Now the door opens in the middle and it has been so much less drafty, and our kids are safer. Phew, that was big drama, glad it is over.

Original Door

Door 2

Door 3, finally right!

We took a much needed getaway to Cedar City for Thanksgiving. We loved spending time with family and celebrating 2 nephews birthdays down there. The best game we played was The Great Dalmudi, and the men had a good time going shotgun shooting.  The girls tole painted when they were gone.  We also had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast and paid a nephew to babysit for a few hours so we could get in some Black Friday shopping.  We had a great time down there, and we were very relieved to come back to a safe house that was untouched.  Thanksgiving 2004 we were robbed when we went away for Thanksgiving, so I always get anxious upon coming home from a holiday trip.  Thank goodness we were watched over! Especially since the paperboy left 2 papers on our driveway all week even though I cancelled them!

We ended November by visiting the Festival of Trees. They had some original trees, like the upside down ice cream one, the recycled 2 liter soda bottle one, and the plastic exhaust tubing one. Makayla loved getting her nails done there and the boys liked fishing. Now it's time to get out the Christmas decorations and spread the holiday cheer!