Christmas 2007 Memories

(This is so typical of my life....I started this post on New Year's Eve and now it is Jan 11th and I'm just getting back to this. I guess I should just be happy that my head is on straight enough that I even remembered that we have a blog! Anyway, here it is)

(1-12-08 (I'm having trouble uploading pictures. I'll keep working on it, but if I wait to make this post it will never get done!)

With only an hour left of 2007 I thought I would share some of our Holiday Memories of the last week. (With a whole hour to kill and me being exhausted, this could get interesting.)

Let's backtrack to Sunday, the 23rd...

After going to church and hearing the beautiful Christmas music and readings of the Nativity story, we went to Terry's mother's side of the family Christmas Party. The kids love all the toys at their cousins' house (especially Adam as they have two boys and he's always stuck with girls here.) There's always good eats, lots of laughs and a gift frenzy that would wow Daddy Warbucks (sorry we just watched Annie today.)

This year was especially fun because we had Terry's brother Clint and his family back from Ohio. We've been so blessed to spend more of 2007 with them than in the last several years, and it has definitely made us miss them. They will be moving to Portland in January so we'll get to see them so much more and we can't wait!

Sarah was the truly the "Star" of the evening. She received a Cinderella dress and some very chic accessories. Her true Diva was able to shine and she played it well. Terry and I have often discussed her personality and whom did she get it from - she is something that's for sure.

Monday, December 24th - Christmas Eve...

We spent the day cleaning up all the presents from last night and trying to get the house in some order to have our holiday dinner then Birthday party for Adam. We were very lucky to have Grandma Pat, her friend, Tom, Papa Ted & B-Nana Werner, as well as Uncle Clint, Aunt Whitney and Cousin Van with us for the evening.

We order our dinner from Safeway then add extra side dishes and other stuff we like. I know this is a slap in the face to every true blooded American mother who slaves in the kitchen to feed her family a nice meal, but it just isn't my thing. I know Disney thinks anyone can cook, even rats, but they've never met me! Our time off is too precious for me to experiment with my poor family.

So on to Adam's birthday - on one hand it's nice that we're all together and home on his birthday but he's 6 years old and never had a regular birthday party. We've done the family thing every year, but I promised him one with his friends this year and once again we just can't fit it in. Life stinks sometimes. He got a cool train set from his cousins and we've bought some additional pieces for it which he thinks is really cool. But I think we're going to just celebrate his birthday in the spring or summer with the girls so he can have a real party with friends.

The highligh of the party was the ant farm! The kids all screamed while Terry put the ants into it then we went and scared B-Nana with it. What fun it's been to watch.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007....

Christmas morning came so very quickly, as it always does when you're up "late preparing" like we moms and dads do. We have a tradition where the kids all sleep upstairs (Adam's room is on the main floor right off the living room) and they can't come down in the morning until mom and dad say it's okay. I took this picture of them before they came down. Such angels!

Once downstairs, chaos reigned supreme while packages were torn into, toys were unwrapped and garbage piled up. Really it is always so cool to see the wide eyes and the smiles and to have them so pure in their belief for this short time.

So with another Holiday over and another year gone, I hope everyone has the hope and faith that 2008 can be the best year yet!

Labor Pains for Christmas

For those of you who don't know, six years ago today I was getting ready for church when my water broke (or rather just started trickling down my leg). I already had a hard time not going to the bathroom every five minutes now - before I realized what was going on - it seemed I couldn't even hold it in!

Well once we figured out that I had in fact beached my water, we hurried to finish packing our bag (this was two weeks early) and headed off to the hospital. Friends and family quickly hurried to the hospital to await the pending birth.

Well they waited; and waited; and waited; and waited...well you get the picture. Thirty-three hours later, after pushing for four hours, the doctor decided Adam would arrive by C-Section.

So at 5:10pm on Christmas Eve, Adam Pittman Werner arrived.

What a wonderful Christmas present to literally experience the birth of our"only begotten son" on such a holy occasion.

Santa Pictures

What is it about Santa that makes us all like children?

I love the colors of Christmas and the lights on the trees. I love how the kids eyes get so wide when they see the red suit and hear the bells.

We hope you enjoy these pictures from our Ward Christmas party.

Hannah - Age 8

Adam - Age 5

Sarah - Age 3

Christmas Wishes

What a wonderful time of year to share with friends and family about our happenings and memories. There is so much to be thankful for and to celebrate. I cannot say it any better than something I recently heard on the radio from the Glenn Beck Program...

Trinity of Holidays

(Since Glenn is off celebrating the holidays with his family, we thought it would be a good time share his essay from the December issue of Fusion Magazine on the "Trinity of Holidays" that happens this special time of year.)

Trinity of Holidays - Let's talk turkey (and eggnog and noisemakers, for that matter). We're in the midst of the holiday season (no, that's not a PC term; I'm talking about Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's) and I have just one question: Do you even remember what it's all about? I'm guessing you don't, because we've buried the magic of those holidays under so much noise and irrelevance that we really don't enjoy this time of year -- and we certainly don't grow spiritually from the gifts that are right in front of us. Over time, we've mangled these holidays into unrecognizable displays of gluttony and greed.

Take Thanksgiving, for instance. In November 1789, President George Washington made Thanksgiving a national holiday when he declared that the nation needed "a day of public Thanksgiving and prayer." Somehow, this day in late November that was intended to be a timeout to give thanks to Almighty God has turned into a feast of food and football that has nothing to do with prayer (unless you count praying for your football team to cover the spread, which I obviously don't). Christmas is intended to celebrate the birth of Christ, but political-correctness and consumerism have mangled it so far beyond recognition that I'm actually surprised when I see a reference to baby Jesus anymore. January 1st offers the promise of a new start and a new calendar year, but it's become an excuse to party and drink so much that you wake up not even knowing what day it is.

It's no wonder that, after the turkey comas and pine cone needles have disappeared, the only thing left over from the holidays is a bigger waistline and more credit card debt. I want us to take back the real meaning of these holidays. I don't think it's an accident that they are clustered together; I see it as divine design. Every year they offer us a clear series of steps we can take to become better people.

Step One is gratitude. Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to humble ourselves and give thanks for the many blessings we have. Prayers help us find peace and acceptance with who we are.

Step Two is redemption. If you have seen my Christmas show, you know that I believe Christmas is more about the death of the man than the birth of the child. We celebrate the birth of the baby on December 25th, but the reason for His existence was so His death would cleanse our sins. His journey, from manger to cross, gives us a second chance.

Step Three is hope. The New Year gives us a clean slate, made possible because we've already humbled ourselves, given thanks, and found redemption. You can't succeed in your resolutions if you are still damaged from the past or if they are just a list on a piece of paper.

None of these holidays started out as anything extravagant. Thanksgiving was just a proclamation, Christmas began in a stable, and the New Year has always just been a day on the calendar. But their magic is in what they represent and in the opportunities they give us. They are very simple in their rewards: your grandmother's tablecloth; your child discovering the Christmas tree; the promise of a new year.

The true gifts of the season aren't in a lighting display or a gourmet meal; they are in your heart, and gathered around your table. You just have to take the time to look for them. Traditions and glittery stuff are fine -- but our souls need attention, too. There is such a thing as a second chance and I hope, if you need one, you will find it this season in all the blessings around you. Happy holidays from the Glenn Beck Program.

In closing the Werner family wishes you a Merry Christmas and looks forward to the promise of staying in touch better during the New Year with our blog.