Temple Lights

This year we met at the temple to celebrate Christmas and Evelyn's birthday. The lights were pretty for sure, and I was prepared with my mini-tripod to take pictures. Check out the pictures, the group shot turned out especially well.

From Temple Lights

From Temple Lights

From Temple Lights

Christmas Pizzas

So Christmas Pizzas have come and gone once again, but I am sure that we will all remember how much fun they were to make. This year I made the sauce from scratch, and some basil pesto from scratch. I don't know if they were really any better, but Christmas Pizzas has never really been about just eating pizza. This is one of my favorite Christmas traditions and I had a great time.

• Mark & Caroline & family made Santa Claus
• Corey & Jen & Family made the manger scene (the people are made from onion and fennel and so they are hard to see in the photo, but they are all there - wise men, angels, and all)
• Ryan's pizza is a depiction of a Starry Night over Pastoral fields on a thin crust (it requires some creativity to see it, Mark added some personality to the photo).
• Mom & Dad made a Christmas wreath (note the quality and craftsmanship of the red pepper "berries")
• Scott & Jen made a reindeer in a grassy field.
  

The Original Christmas Pizzas

Remember when we first started the tradition of the Christmas Pizza?  It was 17 years ago in 1991.  Check out how much those pizzas have evolved (not to mention all of us).

The Polar Express Party

Well, I know you are all dying to know... For our ward dinner I bought a Lawry's Poultry rub for the pork loin and it was easy and delicious! The party turned out fantastic - lots of people, good food and fun. We had dinner, then a short program consisting of some narration from The Polar Express book between the following numbers: some Young Women performing a dance to "Hot Chocolate," a mother and daughter singing "When Christmas Comes to Town," and a couple singing "Believe." They were all wonderful. Then we sang "You Better Watch Out" and guess who came? Santa Claus! He was fantastic! Santa hasn't been to one of our ward parties for over 5 years, so I think the kids were really surprised! We lined up the kids and drew a name for "the first gift of Christmas" just like in the movie. (It was the same bell everyone got later, just in a pretty box.) Then the kids got to see Santa - getting a picture, a bell and a candy cane - and go outside to ride the train.

Dale was the engineer for the train and gave them each a wooden train whistle to blow as they rode. The kids loved the train and wanted to ride over and over. A single sister in the ward said, "This party was great. It felt like a big family, really - and that's the highest compliment I can give!" That and the kids excitement made it all worth it!

Mark's kidsCorey's kids

It’s Beginning . . . .

to look a lot like Christmas! Dale got the lights up and I got all the decorations up (except for the ornaments on the tree) because I was looking for some stuff to use at our ward Christmas party (because I am the Activities Committee Chairman). Yea, so that’s a good side effect! And Dale and I spent the last two days over at the Fuller’s making the Polar Express out of the “Heward” machine (I can tell I’m going to have to post a picture….). I still have to go over and do some final touches by myself because, alas, Dale had to go to work! So speaking of Dale, the hard worker; he gets up way before the crack of dawn, quietly eats breakfast and gets ready for work, and then gently wakes Scott and I for scriptures and prayer. And we finished the Book of Mormon (again) this morning! Then Dale leaves at 6:30 AM and I roll over and try to go back to sleep. But I don’t. I lay there and think of EVERYTHING in that weird state between awake and asleep! Stores I have to go to, lists of things I need to buy, recipes I have to try, politics, the state of the world, family, thank you notes I need to write, appointments I have to make, projects I have to finish and the list of things I need to do them, and what was that dream I didn’t finish?, what product should I try to clean my fiberglass shower floor? Finally at 7:15 I get up, make my bed, get dressed, and have a healthy breakfast of coaches oats and an apple. “All those things I was thinking of that made it impossible to get back to sleep; I might as well get up and get them done,” I think. Except now that I am standing up, all the blood has rushed from my brain and I can’t remember a thing!!!! Well, gotta go. I have to go rub a pork roast. Our ward party is this Saturday, and I’m still testing recipes for our main dish! Ryan had dinner with us Monday (we ate one of my test recipes that didn’t pass muster), and afterward we found tonight’s experiment. Well, it better be the one, because I don’t have time left for any more experimenting. If it’s delicious, I’ll post it….

Memorable Christmas

I remember back in 1987, when we lived on Zamora drive, I got a red tent for Christmas.  I enjoyed that tent from the moment I saw it.  It was fun to take on campouts (like to Panguitch Lake, or Valley of Fire) and have my own little space.  I always shared it with one other brother.  I also remember setting it up in the room and then we would also drag the old Zenith TV into the room and play Sega games from the inside the tent.  I think that I wasn't the only one to enjoy that Christmas gift.  In some ways I think that it allowed us all as brothers to have all those little adventures that makes growing up a little more fun.

King Obama

The public has spoken and the new ruler of the free world is Barack Hussein Obama.  Together with a democrat controlled House and Senate Obama will take us places we have never been before.  In memory of this occasion I made some backdrop images.  Rest assured that there will be Change as Obama promised.  That might be reason to also be vigilant of politics.

Normal Screen

Widescreen

Baby Analia

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Adorable Little Royce

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Boo to You!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Halloween Fun

Scott and I dressed as Mario and Luigi (respectively) for Halloween.  Although we didn't win the contest at work, we were some of the better costumes.  We even entered in an online costume competition.  Maybe we will win at that one.  (Todd Williamson is Toad in case you couldn't guess, and he is holding a paper for the competition).

The Miracle of Life

I had the amazing experience of being present at Analia’s birth! It was a long and tiring process, and I wasn’t even the one doing the HARD work! A couple weeks before, an ultrasound showed that Analia was breech, so a C-section was scheduled, but at the next appointment she was properly positioned – well, sort of. It turns out that she was posterior, also know as “sunny side up” (face up rather than the normal face down). That makes for a longer and more difficult delivery, so the doctor turned off the epidural so Jen could push more effectively. She was a trooper and did an awesome job. It was a special delight for me to be there and witness the wonderful miracle of birth!