merry christmas!

here are some actual scenes from our live nativity play this evening! see if you can spy: mary (great with child/cabbage patch kid) and her joseph, the angel giving the good news to the shepherd, the angel fending off an energetic joseph/wise man/shepherd, and the happy people around the manger.

we've really tried to place more emphasis on the birth of our Savior this Christmas, and i think the kids more fully appreciate the peace and joy of the season (and their Source) this year.

we love you all and wish you a very Merry Christmas!

for our overseas peeps

(the rest of you will get yours in the mail..... sometime soon-ish.)

Wishes Whirl Christmas

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hallelujah

have you seen this video? i just love it (it made me cry - surprise, surprise) and it wonderfully sums up our thanksgiving experience - here at home, cooking together, enjoying together, relaxing together. i hope it will also sum up our christmas. happy belated thanksgiving!!

first taste of fall

as you can see, koa was able to go on his field trip - woohoo!

koa quotes

scene: mama & papa are teasing koa about staying home the next day instead of going on a field trip with his class.

koa: don't forget! tomorrow is my field trip!

mama: i thought you were going to stay home tomorrow.

papa: yeah, you're going to play hooky.

koa: no way! i don't even know how to play that game.

hopefully, he won't learn the rules to that game till he's at least in college.

season of change

well, now that fall's here, and the leaves are changing, we've found out that our lives will be changing a little, too. yesterday, james was called to be our ward's elder's quorum president. (he'll be in charge of the men's group at church.) it'll be more meetings and responsibilities, but he was given a beautiful blessing that was encouraging, reassuring, and instructing (for both of us). i know he'll do his absolute best, and i'm incredibly blessed to be his personal cheerleader.
rah, rah, rah - go james!!!

cool under pressure

koa had his first tae kwon do testing tonight. previously, in his "little dragons" class, belt promotion was based on attendance. now, they're testing the little guys on skills to help them actually learn them. koa was so ready for testing, as you can see:

he didn't need any prodding/helps - he remembered everything - all of the tae kwon do skills and stranger safety tips they'd been covering this cycle. he did awesome!!! and he felt good about his performance, as you can once again see:

great job, koa!!!!