To finish out 2011...

We spent a few days at Adam and Marilee's because one of Justin's presents was to attend this QB football camp with Spencer up here by their house. We have had fun watching movies, playing games, running around with cousins. The adults even escaped last night and went to dinner and a movie- "War Horse". I loved the epic saga. Ryan thought it was okay. Here are a few pic of the big boys at camp and the rest of us at the park.

A few last things- I never posted pictures of Marin and Amber in "A Christmas With Scrooge" this year. They had lots of fun being "Turkey Kid" and "Tenant/ Janet" respectively. I was happy to miss rehearsals, but was a little jealous of my friends getting to play Mrs. Cratchitt :).

Justin's Charger team finally made it to the Super Bowl- after 9 years of Chargers! And they WON!! We froze in the stands watching the game that started 2 hours late and ran until 11:30 pm., but Justin's team won!!!! He even caught a pass for a touchdown. What a great way to end his Charger career.

The following Saturday both Ben and Justin played in the All Conference games for their age groups. Ben had great fun even on the sidelines. We had fun watching him tell jokes and hang out with all these different boys- he has his mother's gift for the gab? The only bad part was being at the field at 6 am and it was FREEZING! Justin was the starting QB for his game and played great until about half way through the 2nd quarter when he dropped back for a pass, saw no one open and tucked it and ran. He ran about 15 yards and was finally taken down. One of the guys tackling him hit his helmet to the inside of Justin's knee. Justin had to be carried off the field and we ended up leaving at halftime. Thankfully he just strained the LCL and didn't tear it clear through. He spent the next week or so on crutches and visiting Dr. Gubernick's office for treatment every other day. He feels like it is healed and it has done well at the QB camp, so hopefully all is well.

I helped at both Marin and Ben's class parties before school got out and they both had great report cards. Grace was really upset when she found out that she had two weeks off from preschool. She loves going to school. Amber was excited to get two weeks off and catch up on some sleep. We have had a fun and busy year and I am excited for 2012. I hope that it will be a year of fun, laughter, health and opportunities for my great family.

Christmas 2011

On Christmas Eve we invited a newly baptized family, the Cooper family, and Quinn and Leslie Mortensen and their family to dinner. We had a yummy ham dinner and an enjoyable evening visiting and playing. Grace was especially excited because she got to have her friend Callie over.

After our company went home, we cleaned up and then the kids opened their Christmas Eve presents from Nana and Granddad- new pajamas! They then all went to the bonus room and watched "The Grinch" with Jim Carey. They all slept in the bonus room, except for Amber, who went to her own bed after the movie was over. She has become like her best friend, Emily, and prefers to always sleep in her own bed.

I had a horrible night's sleep- too excited? Anyway, at 7 am the kids came in to wake us up. We looked at the Christmas scrapbook and said family prayer before heading downstairs.

A few favorite presents included, an itouch for Marin, a new ipod nano for Amber, these BYU earphones for Justin, a WWE wrestling game and game chair for Ben and a fleece blanket made by Mom for Grace. After years of Ryan surprising me with gifts, I finally was the "supriser" and Ryan was thrilled and stunned to have an ipad.

Jimmer loved curling up in the ribbons and stockings. We expected the kittens to be hyper with all the upwrapping and excitement, but they were pretty chill and just hung out watching it all (and napping a bit).

We took a break, ate our traditional Christmas breakfast, and hurried to get ready for church. We only had one hour of church, but it was a really good one. The choir sang 2 numbers, Jenna Mettra sang "O Holy Night" and Sister Luedtke played "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" on the violin. Brother Mettra read Luke 2, the Primary children sang and we had a youth speaker. Then Ryan spoke and gave a very moving and meaningful talk. Both of us were crying. There was a special spirit to the meeting. We had a congregational hymn on the middle of "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with an awesome piano and organ accompaniment which I loved. We finished the meeting singing "Silent Night". It is a version we use each year that I adore. We all sing the normal words and notes, but the piano accompaniment is exquisitely tender and sweet. I can hardly get through it each year. When we got home we took a few pictures, put our pjs back on and finished opening presents.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to Robles' for tamales. It seemed very strange not to have my parents there. We had good food and a nice visit while watching the Laker game at Ron and Sue's. Then the Redford's and AP Christoffersons came over to open some cousin gifts, play and eat more (we ate a lot over the whole vacation).

The next day we met up with Daniel, Jill and Raelynn and went to a park for lunch. Northwood Pizza was the treat. We opened a few more presents and had lots of fun at the park. The Redfords were absent because they flew that day to Washington to be with some of Kevin's family.

What a very Merry Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas

On the 12th day of Christmas I am thankful for...

I received nice presents today, had a yummy dinner at Robles' house and spent time with lots of my family who I love, but the thing I am most thankful for is the birth of the Savior. I was so moved in church as we sang about his birth. I have sat on the hills outside Bethlehem and sung songs about his birth and the angels. I have been in "Savior of the World" and stood with the angels declaring his coming. I know He lived. I know I was singing and rejoicing at His birth.

I am grateful for Mary and Joseph who were faithful and worthy enough to care for the Son of God. I am grateful for the Wisemen who brought gifts and were wise and faithful enough to not return to Herod. I am grateful for the life of Jesus, for His teachings, healings and example of the right way to live. I was also touched by Ryan's talk in church which reminded me that our greatest gift to Him is to live a righteous life and to give Him all the glory. Most often I think this is done in quiet and simple ways.

I am also thankful for His willingness to suffer and die for me and my sins. I have not seen Him, but I know He lives. It is difficult to explain, but the Holy Spirit has testified to my soul many times that He lives. I am grateful for this knowledge. I know that my Redeemer lives. I am thankful for all the blessings my Heavenly Father has given me- everything listed these last 12 days and much, much more.

Merry Christmas!

The 12 Days of Christmas

On the 11th day of Christmas I am thankful for material things...

1. Our house

2. Our cars

3. Lots of fun clothes to wear

4. Dishwasher

5. 2 kittens- Jimmer and Cosmo

6. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"- the book and movies- my favorite Christmas story

7. DVDs

8. Scrapbooks

9. Camera- to take pictures for the scrapbooks

10. More than enough food to eat

11. Telephone to call my friends and family

12. Skype so we can see Grandma and Papa tomorrow

12 Days of Christmas

On the 10th day of Christmas I am thankful for random things...

1. books

2. music for singing and dancing

3. water- was was drinking 3 liters a day on "Game On" and have noticed I am getting thirsty since I quit- need to drink more

4. friends- I have great friends and so my kids

5. Musical Theatre Village- a great place to perform as a family, great friends, wholesome place for my children to hang out

6. vacuums- doesn't it always look better after a good vacuuming?

7. Christmas lights- the whole world seems more magical with Christmas lights

8. sleeping in- I finally did today!

9. curling irons- my hair would look awful all the time without one

10. Deseret Book- there is a new one in Orange County again- I love that place

11. fudge- life is better with fudge

12. Facebook- I love being able to keep in touch with people, share pictures and hear the good and bad that is happening even to those far away from Irvine

12 Days of Christmas

On the 9th day of Christmas I am thankful for teachers...

1. Blake Gould- who let me dream big right along side him

2. Charlotte Wolfe- who taught me how to choreograph and let me experiment on her students

3. Rich Messenger- first my teacher and then my co-worker- he always pushed me to do better

4.lRichard Hozaphel- no one had a better seminary teacher than I did, not only did he teach us history and help us develop strong testimonies, he did it all before 8 am each day with enthusiasm and love

5. Laura Harrison- currently teaching Amber voice lessons and helping at IHS, a mentor, friend and cheerleader for Amber (and me)

6. Chris McNatt- he taught Marin to LOVE school- creative, fun and caring

7. Tracy Garner- nurtured Marin and Ben through 1st grade and taught them how to read- she is amazing and can get an entire room of 1st graders to pay attention without ever raising her voice even a little

8. Rebekah Scott- loved Amber and let her voice soar, works Justin hard and treats him like an adult, and is a joy to work with when I do choreography with her

9. Mr. Fier- taught me chemistry, how to do your best and looked out for me not just in his class

10. Mr. Borgesen- taught me 5th grade- was the most fun ever and even took a group of us to Washington DC- awesome year

11. Robert Marshall- one of my professors in London, he opened my eyes to art, architecture and savoring each adventure

12. Todd Norris- Justin LOVED 5th grade

I could name many more....maybe another day!

12 Days of Christmas

On the 8th day of Christmas I am thankful for siblings..

(I spent my morning at a funeral for Will Townsend, my friend Robert's brother, so I guess I am feeling even more thankful than usual for this one)

In order of becoming part of my family and/or age-

1. Adam- a true friend who always makes me chuckle, a great father, hard worker and all around nice person.

2. Laura- although we were not always bosom friends, we figured out how cool the other person was eventually, now she is my Little-Big

3. Daniel- always the best hugger (is that a word?), fun and thoughtful, truly some of my best dates were with Daniel!

4. Marilee- A true go-getter! a great mom and friend and I will be ever indebted to her for telling her dumb brother that he should call and ask me out :)

5. Heather- I am sad we live so far apart- I always love talking to Heather- she is smart and a good listener.

6. Julie- I also wish we lived closer to one another. She is fun-loving, always up for a laugh and willing to tell you how things really are.

7. TJ- it probably sounds silly but I admire his love of cleanliness and his ability to be smart about money. He is also hilarious.

8. Steve- I don't know that I have met many people in this world that can tell a story better than Steve. He also has the amazing talent to make friends with anyone, anywhere.

9. Kevin- Smart, creative, fun and a perfect match for my sister- besides he is awesome at magic tricks :)

10. Jill- this girl knows how to throw a party, fiercely loyal and super talented in every artistic way

11. Tricked you- there aren't any more :) I am grateful for the sibling bond. Sometimes family drive one another crazy, but I wouldn't trade mine! I can truly say that they are my favorite people to be with in the world and I wish we were together even more often. I admire so many of their qualities and talents. It is fun to see them be parents and I am grateful that they all married fabulous people so that our circle of siblings just got bigger and better.

12. :)

12 Days of Christmas

On the 7th day of Christmas I am thankful for nature...

1. Christmas trees - yummy smell and all

2. Roses from my yard- I love all roses, but it is super fun to have some in my house whenever I want.

3. Orange trees- I love the on in my yard!

4. Lemon tree- also love the one in my yard- I use it for cooking, lemonade and yummy smells all the time.

5. The ocean- powerful, soothing and fun.

6. Flowers- I really love all flowers- roses, gardenias, plumeria the best I think.

7. Mountains- I love Mount Timpanogos the best (looks over Provo and Orem, Utah)

8. Cats- I love Jimmer and Cosmo!

9. Blue skies- I love clear blue skies.

10. Dolphins- I love seeing them at the beach playing in the water.

11. Rainbows

12. Waterfalls

Twelve Days of Christmas

On the 6th Day of Christmas I am thankful for these people who are deceased...

(again in no particular order)

1. Grandma Jeanne- I just finished sending Laura some memories of her for a book for Grandpa Paul and I am thankful for her love, support and faith. What a great example to me!

2. Grandma Eva- I try to be like her everyday.

3. Grandpa Reed- Thinking of playing the "freeze game" makes me smile every time. He was such a hard worker and so generous.

4. George Washington- those who know me know I love Revolutionary War history. One reason is the outstanding character of George Washington. Truly a man who thought more of our nation than he did of his own comfort and fame.

5. Abraham Lincoln- While I am on the topic of American historical figures...President Lincoln went through the deepest, darkest hours with great humility, courage, perseverance and faith.

6. Joseph Smith- another person who gave all- even his life- that the complete gospel of Jesus Christ could be restored to the Earth.

7. Benjamin Franklin- I love his creativity and curiosity, mixed with diplomacy and a good sense of humor.

8. John Wycliffe- for pursuing the translation of the Bible into English for all of us to read.

9. & 10. Granddad Douglas and Nana Anne Miller- for being faithful and raising a good family that I got to marry in to!

11. Bill Scadlock- again for raising a great family for me to marry into- also for all the love and kindness he always showed me. I always felt (and still do) part of his family.

12. The Unknown Soldier- granted I was watching a show today that had a scene at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but I am grateful for those who have given their lives to protect freedom, those whose names we know and those whose names we don't. Thank you.

12 Days of Christmas

On the 5th day of Christmas I am thankful for these people who are alive.... (in no particular order)

1. My Mom- always willing to listen to me

2. My Dad- my #1 fan

3. Ryan- my best friend, gives me great massages, makes me laugh and loves me

4. Amber- super creative and fun to perform with

5. Justin- always up for a history discussion

6. Marin- one of the kindest people I have ever known

7. Ben- I love the twinkle in his eye

8. Grace- surprising me with attitude and new knowledge everyday

9. Janet- fun to talk to and the best cheerleader any grandchild could have

10. Don- a deep thinker, hard worker and a generous man (Janet has a big part in that too)

11. Joy- someone I can talk to about anything

12. Heather- Mom #2 to my boys and friend to me- she is also great at taking care of my cats :)

*This one is hard because I could name 20 or more people besides these 12...maybe tomorrow will have to have more.

12 Days of Christmas

On the 4th day of Christmas I am thankful for these places on earth...

1. My home

2. the temple (all of them really, but that would count for more than 12 places)

3. Irvine- where I have so many great friends and my kids have great teachers

4. BYU Study Abroad Center in London- I only lived there 6 months, but that experience changed my understanding of the world and my personality for the better.

5. Zagreb, Croatia- I met so many wonderful people there and had amazing spiritual experiences.

6. Novi Sad, Serbia- What a special town with such generous people.

7. Beograd, Serbia- I truly did love every minute there- walking, crammed buses, kind people, yummy food, special friends, musical firesides, FHE with the branch, crazy tracting stories and the farmers market (I loved that about Zagreb and Novi Sad too).

8. BYU- every fall I wish I could go back. It is one of the prettiest college campuses in the world.

9. IHS theater- so many great memories, lessons learned, talents shared, and now I get to watch Amber there too.

10. Hawaii- the most relaxing vacations I have ever had

11. NYC- "what is it about you?"

12. My parents home- no matter where we have lived it has always been a place of love,laughter and fun.

12 Days of Christmas

On the 3rd day of Christmas I am thankful for the following things about today...

1. Christmas goodies from friends (Yummy!)

2. Being in the Primary with a great presidency (Roxanne Gebara, Pam muir and Shanon Cameron).

3. My husband who cleaned and vacuumed our room and then did all the dishes while I was at a Primary activity.

4. Playing Play Doh with Gracie.

5. Being able to call Granny Scadlock and talk to her for a few minutes.

6. A warm house- it is chilly outside.

7. A pretty Christmas tree with lights and a new star on top.

8. NO school for two weeks.

9. Kids who are good students- we got report cards for some and progress reports yesterday.

10. Spencer Paul Christofferson (turning 14)- what a great boy in every way! I love him!

11. Going on a date with husband tonight.

12. Hair dye to hide all my gray hair.

12 Days of Christmas

On the 2nd day of Christmas I am thankful for talents...

1. Teaching dance- I love to dance and I love to teach! (and it keeps me in shape)

2. Baking- I love to make the house smell good, put smiles on the faces of my family and share them with friends.

3. Public speaking- I am so thankful that is easy for me when I know how scary it is for many people.

4. Multi-tasking- although I can overwhelm myself sometimes, I would be so sad to miss out on things if I wasn't able to juggle.

5. Singing- I love music. It plays in my head continually and I feel happy expressing it out loud.

6. Positive attitude- it's way easier to go through life happy.

7. Recognizing others talents- sometime easier to do than to appreciate your own.

8. Remembering names- I am super good at this in dance class. I try to do it outside of teaching as well, I do faces better than names outside of teaching though.

9. Teaching children- I LOVE being with children (small, middle and even teenagers). I work hard at trying to be a good teacher of music, dance, life lessons, history, the gospel. I am thankful that my efforts have been aided by God and that it is something I am not only good at, but enjoy.

10. Keeping records- I could be better, but I keep a blog, journal and scrapbooks, so there are lots of records of my great family and friends.

11. (It is hard to write out your talents, but I am being thankful for them..) Determination- to finish what I start.

12. Patience- I have to write that one because I have spent the last 30 years trying to be better at exercising patience.

(I am thankful for all the talents of my friends and family too!!!)

12 Days of Christmas

(I saw this idea in the Ensign magazine this month and decided to modify it to go in our blog)

On the 1st day of Christmas I am thankful for technology...

1. Computers and blogs

2. Physical therapy that can help fix Justin's football knee injury faster and better.

3. Cell phones that keep everyone in touch quickly.

4. Facebook that helps me find out when a friend who lives far away, or close by, is grieving, celebrating or sharing a smile.

5. A refrigerator that keeps my food fresh.

6. Ipods- I love having all my music in one place (besides in my head) and being able to access such huge varieties of music for dance classes.

7. I love garage door openers! Seriously you know how many times a day I would have to get in and out of my car if I had a manual garage door?

8. Washing machine and dryer- my children would have to quit school, or wear the same thing everyday- if I had to do wash for 7 people by hand each week.

9. Television- I love television.

10. Alarm clocks- I need one everyday.

11. Did I mention the music on my computer?!

12. My Kitchen Aid mixer- cookies, cakes, muffins, bread, pancakes, waffles, crepes, and every imaginable goodie that I love to make and eat and share.

Happy 4th Birthday Gracie!

My pretty baby turned 4! I can't believe it- time flies too fast. We had a super fun party for her at our house with a Rapunzel (Tangled) theme. We played on the trampoline and the bounce house, decorated crowns and bags, played "Pin the Nose on Flynn Ryder", ring around the rosie, freeze dance and had a pinata.The kids had so much fun just playing all together. What an adorable group of friends.

Alaya Luedtke, Hunter Welch, Lauren Cilderman, Grace, Sophie Liu, Gray Hillstead, Callie Mortensen, (bottomm row) Aly Gray, Stella Draeger, Hudson Oyler and Everett Heninger. So cute!

A crazy freeze dance picture. Marin was my helper extraordinaire! I couldn't have done it so smoothly without her. Also a picture of the cake Grace and I made for the party. What a fun day!

The 4 Reasons I love Grace

(It is hard to only write 4)

1.Grace is so clever and smart she figures things out on the computer, gets jokes and remembers everything.

2. She is my buddy and we do everything together (and she usually does it happily).

3. She gives me the best snuggles in the morning. Because she is the youngest I appreciate them more.

4. Grace has the cutest voice ever and the sweetest lisp. I love to hear her talk.

Happy Birthday darling girl!