Christmas

Well, we had a wonderful Christmas season this year. We made cookies, went caroling, saw a wonderful Nativity program in Austin and enjoyed much time with family and friends. I always love this time of year and really tried to just relax and enjoy it instead of going crazy with activities and shopping. I did my fair share of shopping and went to plenty of activities but it seemed that it was still a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere. Maybe it was all the Christmas books I read or the Christmas music I listened to. Whatever it was, this Christmas was a blessing to me.

Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in no particular order. The cedar in the air, and consequently the meds in my system, are blocking my brain activity so I couldn't figure out how to do that. Enjoy anyway! :)


Nerf guns from Aunt Emily's family!


Bekah loves to pose for pictures!


Making cookies! This is my favorite holiday activity, except for the Nativity program.


Wrestling with dad.


She actually sat down and started practicing her cursive the moment she opened this present from her NaNa.


The whole crew.


NaNa's traditional "Find Baby Jesus" game. Every year she waits to put out her nativity so the kids can help and whoever finds baby Jesus is the winner.


Hefner grandchildren.


random shot.


It's so rewarding to find the perfect gift for someone. This year it was for Zack. I had my heart set on a Dallas Cowboys jersey for him. Well, after seeing the prices of those I was about to settle for just a plain old, nothing special Cowboys tshirt from Walmart. But that last shopping outing, we went to Academy and decided to look at their Cowboys stuff, just to see. I found a tshirt that I like better than the one I had but then, out of the corner of my eye, spotted a tshirt that had Zack's favorite player's name and number! It's almost the same as a jersey but better cause it was way cheaper! I believe I was jumping up and down in the store out of excitement. The look on his face when he opened it made it all worthwhile. That is how a kid is supposed to look at Christmas.

Besides celebrating the birth of my Savior, that is why I love Christmas. It's a special time to make the people around you happy in a special way. It's not the stuff...it's the joy and excitement of pleasing others.

One other note; the kids and I had a special opportunity to bless some others in our community. As I sat feeling low one morning (stupid cedar trees) Paul's Sunday School teacher called and asked what we were doing. "Nothing," I replied. "Want to go deliver some of those boxes to the homeless?" she asked. A few weeks prior, the kids had made boxes for the homeless that included snacks, personal hygiene products, etc. The idea was that we would all keep some in our cars and hand them out when we saw the homeless as we drove on our various routes during the week.

I have to say, I wasn't all that excited about it but I knew that I needed to do something for someone else to get out of the grumpy mood I was in. So we met at the church and away we went. I can't say how many boxes we handed out but it was a lot. And it was rewarding. I know that not everyone we saw may have "deserved" a box but we were learning to love people where they are, not how we think they should be. And that's what Jesus taught! I'll never forget looking in my mirror and seeing the homeless man we had just delivered to reading the card a child had made for the box and getting a huge smile on his face. His day was blessed and so was mine.

Random Pictures

Well, since it's been sooooo long since I posted any pictures and I have discovered that I have been really bad at taking them this fall, the following is an assortment from the last several months :)

The boys and their bows...




Bekah as the Grumpy Cat at the school's book character parade (their version of Halloween). I actually forgot my camera on Halloween and have no pictures from the actual day :(


Soccer! Bekah is in the blue.


I love this picture. The trophies had little soccer balls that spun around so as soon as they got them they were enthralled for several minutes.


My awesomely delicious turkey at Thanksgiving! OK, Tim helped me smoke it a little bit.


Roller skating for the first time. She actually got pretty good...right before we had to leave.


When she opened this gift at her party, there was a resounding "OOOOOOOO!!!" from all the little girls. It was so cute. What girl doesn't like shiny, pretty things?


More birthday party...Bekah's friend Maddy in the yellow had a birthday on the day of the party so Bekah wanted her to blow out the candles with her.


More skating. From left, Paul, Bekah and Alyssa.


Paul and his volcano. Such a fun project!

A Whole Semester

Wow! I wish I could say that amazing things have happened since that last, long ago post. Alas, my life has only been a blur of studying and soccer games for the past three months. Thankfully, for many reasons, the semester is not almost over (two more weeks!) and I am able to relax for awhile.

I started Texas State University, Round Rock Campus, in September where I entered the education program for elementary school teachers. The classes are, shall we say, interesting? I haven't gained very much practical, useful information as of yet, but, such is life, right? I just do the work and hope that the volunteering in the actual school will prepare me for what my own classroom will look like. I guess I'm not a theory person. Don't care who said it, all I want to know is how I can use it to teach. Anyway, I'll end this tirade with saying that I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to go back to school.

Bekah had her second season of soccer this fall and they did fantastic. She played with the same team and they learned some stuff and won most of their games. Most importantly, she had fun! She started second grade and has a great teacher. She loves school and was upset that they had the whole week off for Thanksgiving. Silly girl.

Paul started fifth grade...sniff. I can't believe how fast they grow. We are holding off on football until the spring season this year so he can play with his friend. We'll see how soccer and football mesh with each other. We've not done two sports at a time yet so I'm a little nervous but I guess we can work it out.

Tim has enjoyed a successful hunting season so far and we've all enjoyed the fruits of his labor. I made some delicious deer chili last week. My best so far, if I do say so myself. He went to Colorado in September and had a great time hunting for elk. Unfortunately, he did not bring any elk back with him. Something to look forward to next year.

Finally, today is my baby's 8th birthday. I can't believe how the years have flown. I look at pictures of my niece, Rachel, and remember when Bekah was that little. I miss my baby but look forward to watching Bekah grow into a young woman...okay, that it totally a lie! I don't want her to grow up at all! I miss my baby!

Enough of that! Happy Birthday to my precious daughter. I love your smile and your silly jokes. I love that you will still snuggle with me when you are tired. I love that you are active and love to play with your friends. I love that you are so smart you can already do multiplication up the the sixes without help (a little bragging there). Thank you, Lord. for sending me Bekah. I pray You will guide her and keep her safe under Your wing always.

Countdown!

One week till school starts! Bekah is cheering and Paul is moaning. And I am in between. We've had a great summer. Wonderful vacation, lots of play time with friends and plenty of relaxing for me. But, it's time to get back into the swing of things.

My plans for the fall are school, of course, and starting a fall garden. I'm so excited to get my front flower bed to actually look like a flower bed and a kitchen garden with tomatoes, herbs and greens. With classes only two night a week, I should have plenty of time to work on it and be at the school some too.

Other goals include getting my leg to heal (it hurts when I run) so I can train for a 5K in October and keeping up with my Bible study. I've been reading some really great books this summer. My current study is on Ephesians 5 - 6, the armor of God. And I'm reading a very convicting book called The Power of a Woman's Words. It's really making me think before I speak and try to find ways to use my words to lift up the people in my life and praise my Savior.

As always, God is so good and continues to provide for us in this time of slow construction. Tim's job remains secure for awhile...again. It all depends on bids being accepted. I consistently praise the Lord for allowing Tim's company to win bids at the last second to save jobs.

That's all for now...Goodnight!

Paul Turns Ten

Well, my boy is 10 years old. Where did the time go? While he is excited about getting to stay home by himself and ride his bike around the neighborhood without his mommy, I am crying because he only has one more year of elementary school.

Memories of Paul:
-escaping the house at the age of two and running down the street
-watching deer, turkeys and cows at Aunt Ruthie's
-wizard teeth...he'll never live that one down
-coming in bloody almost everyday for a month or two...just from playing outside
-the way the hair on the back of his head stuck straight up when he was a baby
-finding him sleeping under the crib one morning
-the joy we both felt when he started school :)
-building a lego gun the length of the living room with his dad

I pray that he will continue to grow into a wonderful young man who loves the Lord and serves others. These lessons can be hard to learn but he is smart and willing so I have no doubt that he will...eventually. :) I love you Paul!

Favorite past time

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!

Blow out those candles!

Waiting for presents.

New bike!

I Hate Painting

Just needed to say it one more time. I've been working on some door frames and doors today...trying to finish the painting project from a year and a half ago. Can you see that I hate painting? It's messy and boring.

Okay, now I'll go finish.

4th of July

Happy Birthday United States of America! We had a great time at Lori and Chris' house. We met for dinner, games, swimming and much more fun! Here is a glimpse...

Fourth of July poker game. Tradition when we gather at Lori and Chris'.

Fourth of July Amy

And...the winner of the family 4th of July poker game! That's right! With a king and a five, no less! hee hee hee hee


Fun in the pool! Tim forgot his old age and had a great time playing with the kids.

That would be Tim on the right side of the picture jumping into the pool. I snapped a little too soon to catch the belly flop.

And there's Tim doing a flip into the three and a half foot deep pool. Crazy man!

On to the trampoline! Front flips, back flips, crack the egg...

Jason's attempt at a flip. I know these guys were sore the next day!

It was a really fun party. Thanks to Lori and Chris for hosting!

Vacation 2009 - It's a Doozy!

Wow! What a trip! We had so much fun on this vacation. These first two pictures are Hoover Dam. The first being a look at the beautiful canyon and the second one of the new bridge they are building. Notice how high it is!

Here's Mom and Dad's house where we all stayed. It was great! The kids were able to run around and they had a great time together. I love how they just meld together so quickly and thoroughly. I know my kids were not ready to leave when the time came.

So, the big boy's project (one of them) was to finish the shed. They worked really hard and got a lot done and I think they enjoyed it as well. Here's how it looked when we left, waiting for sideing and touch ups.

What project would be complete without a mishap? Daniel ran into the house asking for a hot glue gun one morning. We were a bit confused about that, wondering what good a hot glue gun would be on the shed. Emily and I decided to be nosy. Turns out, Andy cut his leg and needed a first aid kit and super glue (which worked pretty well for keeping the would closed). Then we decided a big crowd around the invalid would be just the thing :)

Bekah had a ball with Rachel, who is just short of ten months old. She was pretty shy with the adults but loved Bekah.

The girls were so cute collecting rocks...from the driveway! In fact, Em's family arrived while the others were at church and we had just got back from church. Alexis and Bekah proceeded to find a bucketful of rocks for Grandpa. When Andy's van arrived, their first question was "Where is Grandpa?" Below Bekah and Ellie show off their rock collection, which was later sorted into rocks to keep and rocks to give to Grandpa. Thankfully, they all stayed there!

We did go to the pool one day. But it was crowded and not as much fun as we had hoped. The kids enjoyed it though...until some started getting cuts and scrapes on their toes. We were definitly ready to leave when the time came.

Chipmunks were everywhere at the house. Catching them turned into a favorite pastime. No chipmunks were harmed in the process.

They had a bucket rigged up to a string, food under the bucket and the chipmunks could not resist. They just kept coming back for more.

One day we drove up to Lamoille Canyon. It was beautiful. The kids had a great time walking the trails, even walking up high enough to find snow. Dad said Bekah just wanted to keep on going and going.

I love this picture of Dan and Paul.

Here's Dad taking the girls up to the snow.

Great picture of Thanny throwing rocks into the stream. And the sexy legs behind him, of course!

Ben, Tim, Audrey and Megan.

Another precious picture of Bekah and Rachel.

Mom and Dad and all their grandchildren.

Roasting marshmallows! We had a great big bonfire in James' firepit. Great fun and good eatin!

James and Ellie

I like this picture of Mom and Dana.

Dad playing with Thanny.

Paul, Dan and Audrey at the firepit just before we left.

Okay, these crazy girls decided they wanted to get up early to go on a hike. They set the alarm for 5:30 am (but didn't go to sleep until 10:00pm). They actually woke up at 4! They did have their early morning hike and then set out later in the morning to have a picnic before we left. Needless to say, Bekah slept a lot in the car that day.

Family photo which Mom and Dana managed to not be in.

Waving goodbye.

Tired kids!

So, we had sooooooooo much fun. Thanks Emily for bring the Twilight books and Phase 10 Dice. I now have two new addictions. :) Thanks to all the cousins for the awesome time playing and exploring. Especially great for Paul and Bekah because we live in town and don't have the ability to that too much. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us invade your house...hope it's still standing :). And let me just say, when we got home at 12:30 am Monday morning and it was still 95 degrees outside, we were wishing we had stayed a little longer!