Christmas Morning 2010

To use one of Brad's phrases..."not gonna lie...." There was a big hole Christmas morning with out Brad there. I wouldn't want him to be any other place but it was a bit sad without him. We did have a nice Christmas though.

Wii game from Grandma and Grandpa Kendall.......Gloves and bracelets from Grandma and Grandpa Manwaring,

Soft warm cozy TV blankets made with love by me and Grandma Manwaring......

Shannon finally got her beautiful CTR ring she has always wanted and her favorite movie.....

Michelle got lots of WARM socks and a cool mp3 player and her favorite CANDY!!!!!!!

Rachel was thrilled to get an mp3 player too! She already has a lot of songs loaded up!

Jenna wasn't too disappointed tht she didn't get a "real" four wheeler....Santa just couldn't fit it into his sleigh! She looks just like a teenager with her earphones plugged into her mp3 player..

The BIG hit was a new TV for downstairs. We had a 19 inch tv for downstairs to play wii on or watch movies. We were a bit disappointed when we opened it and the screen was cracked so we had to take it back and order a new one. oh well..... patience is a virtue!

The BEST present of the WHOLE day was talking to Brad!!!!! He was supposed to call between 9:00 and 9:30. If he didn't call by 9:30 we were supposed to call him. Well, the phone rang at 9:15....we all screamed and ran to the phone... false alarm, Spencer's brother. I hastily told him we were waiting for Brad to call so we would call him back. Then ten minutes later it rang again.... we all screamed and ran to the phone....ANOTHER false alarm....Spencer's mom and dad..... told them we would call them back. then wait wait wait...... then Spencer made the phone ring ha ha ha....NOT funny!!! So we tried to call him..... just got a beeping.... ahhhhhh so tried again 10 minutes later, this time a recording that the call could not be completed.. (wasn't sure if it was because of the number or what.... We were DYING!!!!! Finally a little after 11:00 2 HOURS after he said he would call we FINALLY got to talk to him.. I was downstairs when the phone rang. The girls were screaming, "IT'S HIM, IT'S HIM....MOM IT'S HIM" So I ran upstairs, picked it up and said hello and then we all (except Spencer) started to cry a bit. It was SO GOOD to hear his voice. We put him on the speaker phone and put it on mute and the whoever was talking to him had the hand held phone and was in the other room. That worked out pretty good because you could hear him the whole time but it made it easier for him to hear us and such when just one was talking to him at a time. It really didn't sound like him at first but after a few minutes it was him. It had been raining all day he said they had recieved about 1 to 2 inches of rain. He is a bit discouraged due to the lazy companion he has right now. He is a native and due to go home in about 2 months. He doesn't really like to work which is driving Brad CRAZY!!! But he is learning alot and doing well. It was the hardest thing in the world to hang up. I had to cry for a few minutes after we hung up but it's all good. He has grown so much and we are so proud of how hard he is working and the great missionary he is.

Christmas PJ's

Another Christmas tradition is opening up pajamas on Christmas Eve. This year was no different except we were really missing Brad. Here are the silly girls with their cute jammies!
ok, here is a normal pose for future posterity. Jenna still looks a little wild though.

Gingerbread houses 2010

Every year since we have been married, we have had the tradition of making Gingerbread Houses. As the kids got old enough to decorate their own, it has been fun to see their creations emerge. Grandma and Grandpa Manwaring came over to watch the fun. Preston and Linda came too. This was Preston's first time EVER to make a gingerbread house....(Linda, I am appalled!) Anyway, I am not sure if more candy and frosting end up on the houses or in their tummies but they have fun doing it anyway.

Shannon kept sneaking the frosting. Her house ended up being the smallest. Somehow, we missed getting her picture with hers. so look close at the pic and you can see it.
Here is Rachel's creation. It was huge. The picture doesn't show how long it is but is is about 2 graham cracker lengths long so her roof ended up being frosted cardboard. But who can tell?

I was pretty impressed with Jenna's house. Dad helped her with the original structure and then she decorated it. See the pond in the back with the duck? She did a great job!

Michelle started out huge and usually smothers her house with candy but it was tastefully done this year and she was happy with the way it turned out.

We all had a fun time. Hmmmm better start working on next year's blueprint! :)

SNOW DAY!!!

Snow is falling all around.... on the housetops on the ground.... Snow is falling on my nose, on my head and hands and toes..... (music..... can you hear it in your head?)

Getting the snow off the tramp so it doesn't break!

Michelle's snowman has clothes on today and a hat!!!! Snow hat!

Yes, this is Shannon's car no wonder we didn't let her drive..... :)

It has been snowing non stop since yesterday. This morning we woke up to another 6 or so inches of snow. I measured and we have received 13 inches of snow so far. Being the mean parents that we are, we MADE Shannon ride the bus today instead of drive. Good thing too.... this notice was just posted on the School District Web Page.

Today, December 21, will be a minimum school day for

Uintah School District students.

There will be no school tomorrow, December 22.

A make-up day will be held on Friday, January 14.

AM kindergarten students will be transported home today

on regular bus routes and PM kindergarten

has been cancelled for today.

Yes.... another FIRST.....SNOW DAY!!!!

First date to......24th anniversary

ok.....first DON"T LAUGH!!!! This picture was taken sooooo many years ago ya, senior year in High School. Girls choice dance.... I really didn't care to go but my friends talked me into asking Spencer. We didn't have another date till about 3 years later after he returned from his mission. He had "just" returned only been home 3 days. His brother Boyd wanted to go on a double date. He didn't know who to ask. He called someone else and she wasn't home (so I was his second choice). We went to the mountain and watched a movie on a tv in the middle of the woods. They popped popcorn and we had a fun time. We dated a bit during the summer but in the fall, he went to BYU and I moved to SLC to work. We dated just a little but my missionary came home and that was that. My missionary and I got engaged but after just about a week we both knew it wasn't the right thing... so.... Spencer and I started dating again In October, I wasn't sure how he was feeling about things and thought things could be ending (because he broke a date)....we only got to see each other on the weekends because of work and school. Little did I know he had planned to ask me to marry him that day but the weather wasn't cooperating with his plans so was going to ask me later in the week. After me going down to Provo to see him and not being able to find him (because he was in SLC looking for me....) We finally found each other (ya this was pre cell phone era ) he asked me to marry him and 24 years later this is how it ended!


Oh yes, we look alot older and more rounded out but we are truly so happy! Who would have believed that first date that my friends had to BEG me to go on would have ended like this?

Love you so much Spencer! Thanks for loving me too!

We WERE dreaming of a White Christmas...not anymore!

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!!!

If you look out my front door right now, this is what you will see...SNOW!!!The girls (excluding Shannon) have been waiting for this since we moved here.

This was the first snow fall that even gave us even enough to try and make a snowman... Ya, pretty little but it IS a snowman!!

But now.....

Yesterday Michelle made her first....yes another FIRST snowman!! and as you can see, he has been snowed on as it is snowing as I type.....

The girls had a great time playing outside in the snow after dinner yesterday. The snow changed to rain at one point so they were drenched! But oh so happy! They ran out of "clean" snow in our yard so went across the street to grandma and grandpa's huge back yard for more.

Shannon was a bit nervous to drive this morning but after practicing to and from church yesterday she is a bit more confident. It is so weird to drive up to the chapel and see people shoveling snow!!!! Not something we EVER saw living in good old AZ!!

Jenna's 2nd grade classes version of the Nutcracker

Jenna's class and the 3 other 2nd grade classes performed the Nutcracker. All the kids had a part. Jenna was a Chinese dancer. She was pretty funny and really getting into it as you can see. She was very disappointed that she didn't get to be a ninja Russian dancer that got to do tricks.... that was reserved for the boys.

I think she made a cute Chinese dancer girl.
Then at the end all the boys wore cowboy hats and the girls were flowers (which she thought was dumb too cause who wants to be a flower when you can be a cowboy!) But she was cute. Both sides of grandparents got to come.... another first!

Christmas Card Pics

Just a few of the highlights of the year 2010......

Brad was able to baptise Jenna on his birthday. Almost our whole family was able to attend!

Brad is loving being a missionary in Uganda. Many new adventures await him every day! He loves teaching the people about our Savior.

Shannon will be graduating as a Uintah Ute this spring. I am really happy with how well she has adjusted to moving here to Vernal.... that is not to say that she doesn't miss her AZ friends..... oh yes she does sooooo much!!

Michelle joined the "Lady Utes" this year. She is playing on the sophomore team. Loves it!

Rachel can't wait to learn to play the flute! She will start band next half. She loves loves loves babysitting!!! (and the money isn't bad either!)

And Jenna.....Well she loves being a "cowgirl"! She keeps us on our toes!

We have been so blessed this year and feel so grateful to have so many family and friends to enrich our lives!

Merry Christmas!

Cutting up Cow 101...

#1 Have an amazing uncle who can get a killer deal (no pun intended) on not one....not two... but three cows!
#2 Have that same guy kill the cows.
#3 Have a place to hang the beef #4 Have MANY willing family members cut, chop and grind the meat.

#5 You must have a strong stomach for this procedure.

#6 Discard any excess fat and bones....(watch for certain person initials JMK girl 8 years old) to hide souvenir bones in car....... #7 Wrap and label meat and quickly freeze!

We were rewarded for our efforts over 700 packages of ground beef and almost 100 roasts to split between our families. YUM YUM!! (OK, I know it doesn't look yummy here but it will be later in delicious dinners!)

The girls were troopers and helped out alot. (even some cutting) They all decided it wasn't as bad as they were expecting it to be.

Well....check off another first!

Fall fun

Fall is here! Grandma and Grandpa Manwaring have some big trees in their yard and the leaves have started to fall like crazy! The girls were so excited to be able to play in them. They made Grandma and Grandpa promise that they wouldn't get rid of them before they came home from school. Unfortunately Michelle was gone trying out for basketball so she missed tonight's fun but there are still a ton of leaves in the trees so I know she will have another opportunity.

Rachel and Jenna completely buried in the leaves. (just one of the piles)
Swimming in leaves!

Gandpa's truck filled and tromped down by Rachel, and this is another of the piles!

It's raining leaves!!!! Yay!!! Silly girls!! I didn't know how deprived they were!

They had alot of fun but the rain came to end it.

Conference in Africa

A new day in UgandaThe saints gather to watch and listen to our Prophets....4 weeks later

but still the same none-the-less.Sweet little smile to warm your heart! Brad is doing very well. He has had a bit of a cold but that is the first since he left. He hit his 100 day today. The time has flown by so far. He loves the people and LOVES the work. How blessed we are to have the gospel.

"How do you pick potatoes?"

We will make "farm girls" out of our girls yet!! Grandpa Kendall was kind enough to plant an extra row of potatoes for our family so on Saturday we set out to harvest them. The girls wondered how we would "pick" potatoes. ha ha... they now know that they grow IN the ground and that you dig them up. Jenna had fun helping Spencer and Michelle and Shannon were a team.

Rachel was helping Grandpa pull out the old tomato plants. The "farm girls"

After harvesting the potatoes, we washed them off. She looks more like a city girl but that farm girl blood in there inside her somewhere..... Michelle helped Grandpa too when we were done with the potatoes. We had some of the potatoes for lunch with creamed peas....DE-DOUBLY-ICIOUS!!!!!! Thanks Grandpa!!