G'day Mate!

I have it on good authority that people from Australia don't really say this phrase much.
My sources are reliable... 2 teenage Aussie boys who are asleep in my basement as I type.

Early in the fall, we received this.



It's the biographies of 2 boys, in "grades 10 and 11" who have each spent the year working at a McDonald's near their home to help pay for their trip overseas.
Honestly, I worried a little.
Who knew what habits, language or problems they would bring along with their expectations of "experiencing America".
At the same time, I kept in mind that we had a wonderful similar experience last year when we hosted 2 girls.
But you know, boys are different... I have 4 of them!

On the 6th, we received this.



2 clean cut, well mannered, helpful, kind, courteous (you get the picture), boys who have been an absolute joy to get to know.
They came ready to dive in and see and do as much as they possibly could.
They have even eaten whatever I put in front of them.
They are teenage boys, after all.
The program they came with has had outings scheduled almost every day. They got to see...
ASU,
Tempe Marketplace,
The Zoo,
Sedona,
The Grand Canyon,
Tucson,
Scottsdale Mall,
and
Tuzigoot National Monument.

The weekends were ours to plan, so the first weekend, R loaded up the van and took the crew to Pinetop to play in the snow.
They experienced Taco Bell and loved it!
They had a great time and even got home Saturday night so we could all enjoy our Sunday, together.

This weekend, we ran errands to any of the stores that the boys wanted to visit before leaving Arizona. They had specific gifts in mind and bought them at quite a savings as compared to prices in Australia.
Tonight, we said our goodbyes. J and L will be heading to California in the morning for the final leg of their trip. They will spend the week enjoying various amusement park adventures.
We helped squash down their luggage. We deflated a soccer ball and an American football so they took up less space. We removed packaging and boxes and then had room for a few items from us that included a good variety of candy found here and not there.

This was a super great adventure that we look forward to next year!

Happy in the New Year

The fact that I mistyped the original title with 2010 says a lot for the beginning of our year.

The fact that it has taken me 3 hours to write this much of a post
says a lot about the state of my mind.

Blogging has been hard for me lately.
I guess I have been trying to figure out how and when it fits into my life.
I like to keep up with those of you whom I don't get to see often.
I like for those of you who are away to know that I miss you and think of you and remember what it was like to be away from home and "out of the loop".
I think blogging is a good "warm-fuzzy" tool.
I can pass on love and learn from your blessings, hardships, foibles, triumphs and insights.
Because that is what life brings on a daily basis.

And I can never be sure what it is that this day will bring.


Recently, I have become keenly aware of a few things.
They have left me in a stupor.

1) I am very mortal. Remember? Unfinished.

2)I am richly blessed. And I am not referring to $.

You are, too.

3)I have an enormous responsibility to and love and help.

Because I can never be sure what it is that this day will bring.

An amazing thing is, that like the ocean, life ebbs and flows.
Sometimes, I am confident. Sometimes, not.
Sometimes, I am happy. Sometimes, not.
Sometimes, I am funny. Sometimes, not.
Sometimes, I am patient. Sometimes, not.
Sometimes, I am wise. Sometimes, not.
Sometimes, I am helpful. Sometimes, not.

I am betting it is the same for everyone.

Now, it has taken half the day to draft this post.
My 2 smallest children are eating ice-cream cones even though they didn't finish their sandwiches and I am still very human and wondering why blog when my compositions come out in rambling streams of confusing musings.

In the midst of my tangle of words, I have...
delivered a list,
tidied,
buzzed 2 heads of hair,
wandered and wondered,
visited,
assembled pre-school puzzles,
washed dishes,
changed diapers,
read stories,
cheered,
counseled,
consoled..

That is my life.
A little plan and a whole lot of what happens amidst the plan.
Enjoy.
And be happy in the New Year!

December Birthdays

For our family, along with Christmas, December is the month of birthdays.
Yes, I know... bad planning.

T turned 4.

R turned 43.
I am not sure why, but we always have about 5 cartons of ice-cream to choose from...


L is now a double digit.
Remember how cool that was?!
By this time we were all caked-out. L chose a delicious dessert with an oreo crust, mint-chip ice-cream, hot-fudge, and whip cream. YUM! We put all the candles in his piece.


Happy happy birthdays to 3 of my favorite men!

Christmas 2010

My sister and her husband (L & M) host a fun Soup and Singing Christmas party. One of the favorite games is passing a couple of pennies around a circle while everyone sings "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat..." When the song ends, the holders of the pennies are out. This year, we had to do a childrens' round first as the adult round has becomes progressively rowdy!

Grandma L joined in the festivities. She came home from Idaho just in time for the fun. Her annual Christmas breakfast was held in Mom & Dad's home for the first time and I think she enjoyed it more than ever. She gave us the wonderful gift of our grandfather's written life history. It is truly a treasure.

We also enjoyed the annual West family breakfast, but missed having a Huber gathering. It's a blessing and a curse when families grow so large that it is hard to plan BIG activities.

Spreading ''magic reindeer hay" that T brought home from pre-school. It is a magical concoction of hay, oats and glitter. It helps the reindeer fly, you know!

The "line-up"!

Much anticipated fairies :)

Our official garbage bag holder... Thanks, Papa!

See all the treats on the counter? They mostly aren't there, now... Yummmmm!

Afternoon lounging in new chairs.

Simultaneously installing new drivers and learning the uke.

The backyard battle zone.

And here is the photo taken just a few minutes ago. Obviously, it's time for the bail-out! I know that I need to remove the fire hazzard/tree that is filling the corner, dropping ornaments and pine-needles but still smelling pine-y.

The problem is, I just like the lingering holidays. For me, it's kind of like the smell of bread that stays in your house all day long after you have baked it. We all stay in our jammies way too late. We play together, we nibble on treats and candy even though we have just had breakfast. And, I don't have to think about the babes returning to schools... near AND far.

So, if you don't mind... we are still having Christmas for the rest of the week. ...even if we do end up tidying up a little :)

I love the holiday season.

After my birthday in November, the days are just more and more fun.

I love the concerts, programs, parties, decorations, fun and festivities.

Once upon a time, I finished all my shopping and preparations before November.
That was my standard.
Now, it's my dream.



So, here I am on the 20th (Oh! MY! Gosh!) of December and I still have a list of things to go and do and get.

That is the part that I just don't like this year.
The Getting.
Shopping.
Buying.
I have no oooomph or even desire to go and do it!


We have what we need.
Why clutter and complicate our lives with more?

These thoughts have been pressing on my mind.

And, in that perspective,
I have been enjoying the concerts, programs, parties, decorations, fun, festivities and family
even more.

I have been aiming for simple and uncomplicated and joyful.


Simple.





T and I shopping for the tree and surprising all her brothers.


Uncomplicated.




Listening to the Mtn. View choir sing at the AZ temple and enjoying the light display.



Joyful.


My mother and aunts performing for the family Christmas party and laughing til they cried when they received a standing ovation.

Simple. Uncomplicated. Joyful.

Provo or Bust

We have been looking forward to the first weekend of December for a couple of months.
It's a rarity, but we had planned a trip.

K, in Provo, was performing in BYU's Celebration of Christmas.
All the choirs and their Philharmonic orchestra were on the docket.

We were told not to miss it, so we didn't.

We invited grand parents.
We bought tickets early, as they "always sell out".
We arranged transportation, because our van just isn't large enough.
We made sure everyone had clothes and shoes that could withstand blizzard conditions at least temporarily if needed... we lucked out and had beautiful weather in the 40's :)
At the last minute, we invited a niece to join the fun.

The whole trip as wonderful as we had hoped.
The roads were clear.
The children were pleasant.
We had food.
I'm not sure there is much more I could want.

Here are some photo highlights:

On the way, we walked across the dam.

When we pulled in and stopped at K's job, everyone had to throw snow... shoes or not!

Here we all are with the "real cougar"!

Not bad for an "old guy"! Of course my camera skills didn't catch the good stuff :(

L could reach the rings flat footed. That cracked us up!

The concert.

Our Star.

The proud parents.

Down time and tickle time.

We went to Music and the Spoken Word Sunday morning in SLC.

Now we can get ready for Christmas!

Giving Thanks

My Dad was in the Navy while I was young.
We lived away from family, and visited them on vacations.

Thanksgiving, for me, was always a wonderful assortment of people.
We feasted with each other,
neighbors,
teachers,
colleagues,
acquaintances...

We had gratitude in common, and an appetite for turkey and trimmings, and a desire to eat pie!

Living close to family, things have changed a little.

We have big families. Together, we have 14 siblings! In the past, we have spent the day feasting here AND there and trying to see and visit as many loved ones as possible.

This year, we missed K who opted to stay at school planning to work extra hours (see here).

This year, we played football (of sorts) in the field at the school.







This year, we shot paper rockets with our neighbors using an air compressor cannon.

This year, we ate once and it reminded me of years past.
Family AND friends.

Together AND Thankful.

And blessed.