Christmas 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

I did not know how were were going to pull off Christmas this year, we had one thing after another and not all bad. Broken car, new tires, smaller paychecks bad, trip to Hawaii good. But all cost moola as does Christmas but things worked out as it always does and the kids had a great one. We didn't do much to get into the spirit, no concerts, no ward parties, no lights, no visits to Santa and I missed it. Loren and I did most of the shopping together which was fun and I treasure but we always had something going on when we were invited to things. Next year I will make a better effort as I missed feeling the spirit. The highlights were...

Dec 19th Chesley Christmas party, it was at our house this year and one couldn't not ask for a better day. We started early so the kids would have daylight to play, see the animals, jump on the trampoline and ride horses. Can you believe I did not snap a single photo. I was too busy oohing and aahing over Loren's niece Heather's new baby Kingston. I love this family I married into I feel so blessed to have such good friends as in-laws.

Dec 22nd new boxer puppies. Brindy had a litter of 6 - do dang cute.

Dec 24th we had a small Christmas Eve celebration at our house, Loren grilled steak and we sat around and laughed and visited just our small family. Kyley opened one present a Wii Just Dance. We sat around and watched everybody attempt to dance. Taylor is the winner. We watched "A Christmas Story" laughed some more especially since Ty wanted a soft air gun and we kept saying "You'll shoot your eye out" and then the kids got to bed hoping for the big guy to visit.

Dec 25th Santa came!! The kids all sleep in one room and call on their cell phones to wake Loren and I so we can see their faces when the check out their loot, one of my favorites sights.

Taylor - a new shoe shelf (she loves to be organized) with new vans and a camera
Kyley - socks (that is all she wanted), new vans and a camera




Ty - an air soft gun, bow and arrow and the marble thingy



Wyatt - Legos, Robot Police Headquarters, air soft gun

Boy my kids must have been good!

Breakfast at Grandma Chesley's was bitter sweet this year. Loren lost his favorite Uncle Norman Perkins on the 23rd and I felt his loss. Grandma Perkins had a stroke a few months ago but she was at Grandma house so we snapped a few pictures. She recognized a few people and I think she enjoyed the festivities. Although I am sure they wore her out. Loren's mom got him a bongo drum set, it is hard not to drum on them when ever you pass them - it is a bit addictive.

Dinner at the Goodman's with a visit to my grandpa and grandma Goodman's house before. They are 95 and 93 and they were up and visiting I had to snap a few pictures. I love them and am so thankful for them. they usually give us all a $2 bill (this year it was a little more) but grandpa would always say, "if you don't spend it you will never be broke." So true so true.


We all gathered to listen to my Dad read the Christmas story from Luke, it always brings a flood of memories when I was little and practicing for hours for our little nativity. I got to sit and hold my newest niece one of Dale and Debbie's twins Laina all night. It felt so good to hold a baby. What a great end to a great day, good food, toy guns for the kids, white elephant, families, stories an all around good times.


Dec26th The day after the house is a mess and I come in our room and find Loren all by himself playing with Ty's new marble toy, I love it. I asked did Santa bring this to you or Ty?

Merry Christmas Eve

Perhaps the longest day of the year, especially when the kids open their Christmas pajamas in the morning before Loren goes to work so they can wear them all day. As soon as Loren left for work, Kyley says " let's play Christmas." The kids dressed up their stuff animals and pretend to sleep and bring gifts. Ty dressed up his orangutan Harry and Wyatt dressed up his bear Dino, Kyley dressed up her cow I just didn't get a picture of it :)

At 1:00 pm Wyatt says I wish I could go to sleep now. I explained that Santa doesn't come until night time. While Tay, Ky and Ty have been staying up late and sleeping in, Wyatt has maintained a strict schedule of early to bed early to rise. He is the first one awake each morning, most days by 5:00am. I now think it is because he was training for Christmas morning. While none of us will be able to sleep Wyatt will be dreaming of toys and Santa by 8:30pm.

"Merry Christmas to all and to All a Good night" I am now off to see how much Wyatt has memorized of that book or to play his game as he calls it.

Oh what do you do in winter break...

When it is finally cool to go play outside? I love this time of year, I love the falling leaves and I even love raking them. I love that we have no school and no schedule, the kids can just play. Right now the boys are in their camo phase, looking for anything camouflage so they can hide outside in the leaves and fight imaginary bad guys, hunt bear (our dogs) and deer who knows. They are out being boys and I love it.

Decorating the Tree

It hasn't' felt like Christmas to really anyone but Wyatt, he has had his shopping done since the 1st of December and his list done for months.

But when the tree goes up its Christmas. I love the smell, the laughter, the trip down memory lane as we hang the ornaments. Taylor said and it is my feelings too," how sad it is when peoples Christmas trees are all matchy matchy." We like the homemade ornaments and the hodge-podge of ornaments we have collected through the years. The highlights include...

• The angels ornaments with the "real" wings that my mom gave me when my girls were little because they reminded her of them. Taylor and Kyley know which one they are and will hang those first.
• The handmade ones from when the kids were little, I love seeing how they have grown.
  
• The family ornaments where Kyley's name is spelled wrong twice (Kylie, Kylee)
  
• The ornaments made for Loren when he was one his mission from his nieces,
• The twirly one that is everyone's favorite and it's a treat to be the one to hang it up
• The egg made by Aunt Pat that we use to have two but Taylor Marie broke one now 8 yrs ago and we haven't forgotten.
  
• the owl ornament we got when we first moved to this house,
• the sea turtle we added this year from Hawaii. I love it!
• I hardly have to do anything and as Taylor said (she is the insightful one) "it was weird to tell Wyatt to put ornaments on the bottom of the tree." So true, my kids are going up so fast but they still have fun hanging the ornaments and the tradition of pretending to sleep by tree is still alive and well. They didn't do a good job pretending, Wyatt is the best the big kids were laughing too hard.
  

What I Love About Sunday

Just got home from church the kids had all made themselves lunch and I hear roars of laughter coming from the front room. The kids are all playing the "laughing game". You put your head on the stomach of another person and laugh. I love games like that. I had to snap a few pictures of my kids just being kids. I love it that they play together and love each other.

Quick side bar: Today in primary we sang "Book of Mormon Stories" that song has now became my favorite. Last year Wyatt comes home from primary so excited, he said, " They sang about us in primary." I asked, "What do you mean?" He said, "They were singing about the Chesley's." I am racking my brain trying to figure out what he is talking about. So I ask him to start singing the song about the Chesley's and he starts singing "Book of Mormon Stories." I still don't see how it has anything to do with the Chesley's until the last line... "Given this land if they live LIKE CHESLEY'S". Go ahead and sing it - it totally fits, I have a hard time singing "Given this land if they live righteously" it is now LIKE CHESLEY!

The Zoo

My niece Keelie turned 3 and Joe and Cassie had some connection to get us all into the Zoo to help her celebrate. Taylor and Kyley my two teenagers summed it up perfectly - I asked them if they wanted to come, it will be on a Saturday and we are leaving at 8:30am and they said, "Zoo, cousins, heck ya!" We met in the parking lot for donuts and hot chocolate and then headed into the zoo. We got there in time to see them feed the sting rays and we spent lots of time petting them. Wyatt was scared at first but after I told him that Santa wouldn't bring him any presents unless he tried. He finally touched one then loved it. Then off to the giraffes and to the African trail and the lions, and tigers and rhinos oh my. As we walked along we always look at the mountain to the right hoping to see big horn sheep - I don't think I ever seen one have or maybe only seen one. This time there was one, then two then then then entire family, probably 8-10. I wish two things, one that I had a better zoom and two that Loren could have been here to see it - he would have loved it.

Taylor and Kyley are such cool big cousins,
I always saw them playing with Hannah, Abby, Annie, Lucy, or McGregor. They gave piggy back rides, teased, played, chased and just had fun. Ty just ran off with the other big boy cousins, Durham, Jake, Jake, Raulin. Wyatt stayed with me, he is such my baby. It was fun to see the animals we even got to ride the camels but it was all about the family. I got to visit with my brothers and sisters and the cousin got to play. The weather was perfect, not to hot not too cold, I need to remind myself of these days when its 120 degrees in July.Thanks Joe and Cassie for the invite and Happy B-day to Keelie.

"Happy December 1st"

Those were the first words out of Wyatt's mouth at 5:45AM this morning. He had been waiting for the Christmas season for months. It only became worse when we put up all our decorations the day after Thanksgiving and none of the count-downs start until today. I love having a little one in the house; you have to smile as you watch their excitement. It makes Christmas so much more fun. I remember thinking Christmas would never get here, we would go into the big closet (I don't know why the closet) in the big room in the basement and work on our Christmas list starting in July. Now that I am grown up it is here in a blink of an eye.

Good thing I have Wyatt to remind me Christmas is a fun, happy time. He started working on his Christmas list at least 3 months ago, he started writing it but gave that up to type it instead. If anyone wants a copy I can e-mail you. He would have put the store where I could find the present if he had the time, but our computer broke so all I got was a list of his 47 wishes. Now Ty on the other hand doesn't even have a list while the first item on Kyley's list is socks. I love this time of year, so Happy December 1st to you all, only 24 more days until Christmas.