Science Fair Time

We have known for well over a month that Taylor had to do a Science project for the Science Fair. So, like any good mother, I explained that we had tons of time and not to worry. Once a week Taylor would all of a sudden realize that his project was due sometime soon and have a panic attack. I would once again assure Taylor that we had tons of time and not to worry. We did take some time one evening and do his research. I also printed off the pictures for him to color over Christmas break and he did get those done and ready. There were a few times here and there that we would work on it.

One night after dinner instead of working on his project, we were sitting around talking and somehow Momma's Little Piggy came up and the next thing I knew Taylor was doing the whole Mamma's Little Piggy. See how well we have been using our time. If building food sculptures would count for a science project, we would have been set!

All through this I have been dragging my feet a little because I have never done a science project before. I have never in my life had to use that stupid tri-fold board and explain my project on it. This was all so new to me and I was scared to try to even help. So, now that his project is due tomorrow, we have it done! Man, I work well under pressure! Taylor did a wonderful job on his project and keeping his journal.

Here he is with his finished display. Since I have never done this before I'm not sure if we did enough or if it's just right or anything. I think it looks nice and clean and organized.

Here is a close up of his display.

This is the middle section. The little green part on the bottom is a little note that we added from some of our research that says that all the water on the earth right now is the same water that was here when the earth was formed and when dinosaurs were on the earth. I did not know this, but that is how the water cycle works. It just keeps cycling the water.

This is the side of the board that explains precipitation and collection.

This is the side that explains evaporation and condensation.

Good Job T! I can't wait to see what your teacher has to say.

My Palace

I read a quote in Church yesterday that has just stuck with me...It is from C.S. Lewis in his book, Mere Christianity.

"Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace."

There are times when I can feel that changing happening inside of me and it makes me scared because it's not what I'm used to. I'm used to being that little cottage. It's modest and doesn't bring a lot of attention. I need to learn to not fear because I know that He is always with me, guiding me.

This also reminds me of another quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in his talk, Happiness is your heritage.

"Think about it - your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination...."

I love both of these quotes because they both help me to know that I am a masterpiece and if I will not fear, the Lord will help to make me into a beautiful palace. I need to take the time to focus more on the inside and remember that it doesn't really matter what the shell is that holds that masterpiece because if I'm working on fulfilling my mission, that masterpiece will show through.

I just felt as though I needed to share this with you because I know how hard I can be on myself. I'm not always good at remembering my own self worth. I hope these quotes can help someone else as much as they have helped me.

Giving a Talk

We were asked to give talks tomorrow in church and so the only writing I have done this week has been to write my talk. I have always been afraid to speak in front of people but I think that as I have finally started saying yes to speaking that I'm slowly getting better. I kept going back and forth on if I should just post my talk and I think I finally decided to post it for everyone to read.

I do want to let everyone know what I was thinking as I wrote this so that everyone is on the same page. I really wanted to make sure we all know to use our resources the right way so that we can work to become closer to our Heavenly Father. I'm hoping that it helps us to remember to set small goals that we can attain and use those goals to get to know our Saviour better. The only thing that you will miss is the part when I add in little personal things as I feel that they need to be added while speaking. But the bulk of what I will be sharing is here.

I may be opening a can of worms here that I might not be ready for, but if someone could give me some good feedback I would appreciate it. I am really trying to work on my writing and feel like I could use some direction (good and bad). Just be gentle if it's bad :)

Sorry for the length, I tried to attach this as an attachment but it didn't work so I had to copy and paste.

Setting Spiritual Goals

First introduce our family J

I found most of the information for this talk in an article by Dean L. Larsen titled “Some thoughts on goal – setting.” This was originally a talk that he gave at a Brigham Young devotional on May 13, 1980. I will be quoting this article a lot along with a few ideas from another article titled “setting priorities” by Elder Won Yong Ko.

When setting personal and family goals, it is important to not just focus on the outcome that you are working toward; we need to be setting small attainable goals all along the way. A personal story that I would like to start with, doesn’t have anything to do with spiritual goals, but it does have some of the same ideas that we need to follow.

We had spent months planning our first vacation in years. We had set aside the money to pay for our little trip. I had contacted the owners of the cabin that we wanted to rent and sent them the money. I even confirmed with them that they had received our money and that our reservation was still good. We made a partial list of what we needed to pack; it was partial because so much of what needed to be packed was so obvious. We had everything ready so we could leave after church and spend our Sunday afternoon driving. Once we got home from church, we started checking our “list” and hauling everything we needed out to our truck. I was in the house loading up the food and filling the coolers with everything we bought for the week. We knew we had everything and set off. Our cabin was at Moon Lake and it takes several hours to get there. They do have a little store at the lodge that is stocked with a few necessities. We soon learned that we needed several of those necessities due to only making a partial list. As soon as we went to eat dinner the first night there we discovered that we forgot our roasting sticks. We just cooked the hot dogs in the little kitchen and it wasn’t the same but it worked. The next day is when we started realizing everything that we missed; I missed shampoo, body soap, flour, chicken for our second dinner, and I’m sure there was more but these were the really important ones that I missed packing. We were so excited to get to our final destination that we forgot all the little things in the middle that needed to be done so we would be properly prepared.

I can look back and list several things that I did that were the wrong way to prepare my family for our trip. I didn’t focus on the little things that we would need, like soap and shampoo so we could shower after playing at the beach. I knew what we were cooking; I didn’t need to look at the list of food that we bought because I knew what went into each meal. I knew how we were going to do everything and so I didn’t need to refer to anything to remind me of what was needed. The first and most important thing I lost was my humility.

We need to make “an important distinction … between the potentially confining aspects of setting specific goals and the much more encompassing need of having a general purpose in life. This distinction is more than a play upon words. One’s purpose in life has an overriding influence on what he does with his time, energy, and resources. It can also have a profound effect upon how he relates to other people. Without this sense of purpose, life has no compass. Within the framework of such a purpose, there is an acceptable place for much spontaneity and flexibility. Indeed, without this freedom, life can become stilted and sterile, and much of the potential for inspiration and renewal can be thwarted.

Unless the goals and objectives an individual works toward are harmonious with his general purpose in life, a devastating kind of internal conflict can develop which is destructive to happiness and personal development. Appropriate, useful goals and objectives must be a direct outgrowth of one’s perceived purpose in life. Otherwise they can lead to a random expenditure of effort and resources that may not contribute effectively to long-range progress.”₁

So, what are the goals that we need to be setting? What are some of the short goals we can focus on? What is our long range goal? These are questions that we can ask in all areas of our lives. Referring back to what I just said, if we aren’t clear about what we are working towards then it,”can lead to a random expenditure of effort and resources that may not contribute effectively to long-range progress.”₁ One example of this is the college student who is going to school and doesn’t know what they want to do. I’m sure we all know someone who has turned into a career student. It ends up being a waste of effort and resources and can lead to large loans to repay if they couldn’t pay as they went.

When we are speaking of our spiritual goals, one thing that can help us to achieve our short term and long term goals is to “picture yourself on one side of a stream and on the other side is your eternal happiness. You need to have some stepping-stones in your life to get across. For example, choose to go on a mission, to be married in the temple, and to have a family. As you prepare for each of these events, you will be on track to reaching your ultimate goal.”₂

“When we set priorities, we can manage our problems.” We all know that we are going to stumble sometimes on those stepping-stones, but if we are prepared and know our course it’s easier to catch ourselves and not let that stumble become a total fall. “Once you have that mindset, then your heart is peaceful because you are doing what is right. Keeping our commitments or covenants is not easy and requires a lot of sacrifice, but when we do, the blessings we get will be a lot more than what we sacrificed.” As we “set intermediate stepping-stones in our lives they will give us help and protection. I know that as we are faithful to our covenants, then our lives will be more worthwhile and we will be blessed.”₂

We know that this is all worthwhile and we will be able to see the blessings that will enter our lives, but not everyone in the world will be able to understand or notice the blessings that are lifting you up and keeping you going toward your goals. “Spiritual qualities do not necessarily develop in the same environment as that which fosters the attributes esteemed in the material world, nor can these spiritual qualities always be accurately measured in a quantitative way. The qualities of the spirit are susceptible to assessment, but they must be assessed by spiritual means. True, they often are reflected in individual lives in observable ways (through feelings, attitudes, commitments, and perceptions), but they are not always easily measured in a quantitative way at arbitrarily established audit periods.”₁

“The same is true of one who experiences conversion to the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This conversion process can be a lengthy one, and it can have a profound effect upon one’s purpose in life. But its progress cannot always be accurately assessed by measurable performance at arbitrary points in time.”₁ As we grow spiritually it is often a gradual process and it may not be until we look back over our lives that we can see those changes or when someone points out an attribute that we have gained without realizing it.

Elder Larsen also offers a warning about being careful when setting goals. He states, “There is sometimes the danger that the true purpose of an endeavor can be lost in the compulsion to make the records look good. As an example of this, I cite an incident recently related to me by a young wife who had just gone through the trauma of losing a baby through premature birth. Throughout the month of semiconfinement that preceded the misfortune, members of the Relief Society in this sister’s ward made frequent calls on her to comfort her, to bring meals for the family, and to be of general assistance. Their caring concern and attention had been much appreciated.

Following her release from the hospital, this sister deeply felt the need to spend some private time with her scriptures and in prayerful quest for understanding. She reported that on a day at the close of the month she was at home alone, particularly impressed and inspired by some part of the scriptures she had been reading. A sweet spirit of peace and consolation rested upon her, and she felt a closeness to the Lord and the reality of his love in a way she had never experienced before.

She was absorbed in this experience when the telephone rang. She reluctantly answered. On this occasion the call was to solicit a time during the day when an official Relief Society visit could be made to present the lesson for the month. When the sister asked to forego the lesson in view of the fact that the visiting teachers had already been in her home several times during the month, and more especially because she did not wish to have her refreshing interlude with the scriptures interrupted, she was reminded that this was the last day of the month. On the earlier visits the official lesson for the month had not been presented. Therefore, the visits could not be counted.

Reluctantly, the sister left her scriptures and cleaned her house in preparation for the visit of the visiting teachers. The spirit of the morning was lost and was replaced by a feeling of resentment and hurt. The visiting teachers’ perfect record remained intact—but at what cost?”₁

Along those same lines, I have received an email from a friend that shows the different types of visiting teachers that will only come to the door, that will come in and see your chaos and leave, and the ones that come and take over when you don’t need that. I know I have had the one that only came to the door. Even when Taylor had surgery and she brought dinner over she stayed at the door and was in and out. I think we all get the idea though, that it is more important to remember the original idea of the goal. If it is to get your visiting/home teaching done every month, make sure you are meeting the needs of the family and not your need of meeting your goal. If your goal is studying the scriptures, it’s like what we were asked in Sunday school a couple of weeks ago. Do you read for 10 min and say good enough, goal met; or do you read to be edified and attain answers that you may be looking for.

All of these questions can be used in any of our goals that we are working toward to be able to return to our Father in Heaven. We don’t want to waste our time setting goals that will only make us move backward when our time here is limited. We want to use our time wisely and pick our stepping –stones carefully when making decisions concerning serving a mission, getting married, starting a family, or any other decision that can help us to stay on the straight and narrow path (of stepping-stones).

I would like to share one last thought from Elder Larsen, “As members of the Church and human beings in general reach for a higher level of moral and spiritual attainment, they will be required to more clearly define the principal purposes in life. They will need to be motivated more toward the qualities of life associated with moral and spiritual growth than toward producing or acquiring quantities of things. Historically, people have always achieved their highest levels in material things as a by-product of their attainment of high spiritual and moral qualities. It has never occurred in reverse order.”₁

I know that when we set goals and keep them in the front of your mind, you will reach them. One goal that we had set was to be sealed in the Temple on year after being married. I think everyone we knew decided to die that year and we faced the hardest year of our lives. However, no matter how mad I got or how hard I tried to fight and say that going to the Temple was not what I wanted anymore. I knew it was what I wanted and we did keep that goal. I know that when we reach for worthy goals that our Heavenly Father will help us to reach them.

Continue as guided by the spirit!

A Whole New Year

It is officially a new year and the first day was wonderful. We had lunch with friends and was able to listen to our husbands reminisce about their missions. It is always fun to hear these stories and to hear what these 19 year old boys do. Especially when it is their first time on their own. We then had dinner with my mom and Chris. It was so yummy! Then we stayed there way past our bedtimes and watched this new comedian they found. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Now is day number 2 of this new year and with church starting at 1 pm, I think it's going to be good. I can sleep in and take time getting ready for church instead of rushing and Kenny having to play drill sergeant to get the boys moving.

I did my year in review already, but I neglected to add in there what I learned from everything that had happened. The more I think about it, the lessons learned needed their own post.

I learned that spending time together as a family is the most priceless thing I can ever do. We took a few holiday's that are considered couple only and spent them as a family. Valentines day was one of those days and I learned that sharing that day with our children was a wonderful idea. This year I would like to have our family spread that time and love with others who might be alone.

I learned that even though I would love to not have a car payment, I may have to give in and realize that we love cars to much. I've already been looking at other cars, but then again I'm always looking at homes and we haven't bought another one yet. If I were to actually set a new years resolution it would be to not buy a car this year.

Our biggest struggle from last year was our health. I learned that sometimes it takes having something happen, whether it be health or something else, to make you stop and look at what is really important in life. In a way I'm happy (not sure if that is really the right word) to have most of my health issues diagnosed. I now know why I don't feel good and haven't for years. I also now know what is important to me and it isn't working myself to death (or mental breakdown) so we can have stuff. With me needing to stop working it also helped me realize that it doesn't matter where I live or what kind of home I live in, I'm still the same person. It helped me to learn that if someone wants to judge me based on what kind of home I live in without knowing me, then I don't need to know them. Life is short and I want to spend my life with people who help to bring out my best side (the other side can be fun, but not always nice).

I now know what to appreciate and to take the time to appreciate it. It means that when my boys have a question about something, I need to take the time to answer them and not brush it off as something trivial. Even if the question is, "What is viagra?" It's taking the time to not just talk at my kids, but chat with them and really listen to what is going on in their lives. I've learned a lot, even in the last couple weeks. I'm not sure I was ready to learn these things but nature doesn't care if I'm ready, my boys are growing up and Kelton's health class has gone into great detail during their sex education part of the class.

One thing that I already knew, but don't always remember is how much the older generations have to offer. They have already gone through everything that we are now trying to figure out. It is amazing when I get the chance to sit and listen to some of their stories because I learn so much and then have the answers I need. It is so much easier to listen than try to reinvent the wheel. Two weeks ago I was able to sit next to the sweetest lady named Esther. She had 9 children and it was so fun hearing some of the stories she could share in the few minutes we had before Relief Society started. I love listening to Helen's stories when we get together. I can't believe that I have now known her for a year. I really want to spend some more time this year getting to know her. I would love to know how she was best friends with my grandma and to learn some more about both of them. I'm sure she can also share some good stories about my mom and her siblings.

I am so excited for this new year and for everything that I'm going to experience with my family and friends. I wish the very best for all of us!!!! I love all of you and am blessed to be able to spend another year with each and every one of you!

Our Year in Review

After careful consideration, and help from a friend, I'm going to try doing our review by month. Since this is the first time trying anything like this, wish me the best :)

January - February: Well, this was the first of the year and none of us can remember anything. The only thing I do know is that we finally recovered from our cold from hell and got all the Christmas decorations put away. February always consists of Valentines day, but we had decided to boycott it this year. I felt as though we didn't need a specific date that we have to tell each other we love each other and if it doesn't come with diamonds then it's not good enough. We had a family Valentines day and I made us a fancy dinner and we played games.

March: I had my first Latte from Starbucks (I was good, there was no coffee). I also got to have a girls night out with my sister, the first of only two. Not much else happened this month. I think this might have been when Kenny was put on insulin but I could be wrong. Just know that at some point this year Kenny had to add insulin to his list of medications.

April: Kelton turned 13 and is now a teenager. Kenny and I celebrated our 16th Anniversary. I still can't believe we have been together that long. It still feels like yesterday that we got married. Easter was also in April this year and we were even nice parents this year and bought dye to dye the eggs. Funny thing is, the Grandma's did most of the dyeing while Kelton, Chris, and Kenny were downstairs playing with Kelton's new stereo.

May: We had several strong storms come and they had knocked down our neighbors fence, silly side note, as soon as it hit the ground it was our fence. Since we were renting, it really wasn't our responsibility, but Kenny and the boys spent their nights and a whole Saturday rebuilding the fence. It was amazing to see them out working together. We also got this crazy notion to buy another vehicle, number 28. We found our Ford Exhibition and have loved it ever since.

June: Taylor turned 11 and we officially have another tween in the house. We also went on our first vacation in years. We rented a cabin at Moon Lake and had the most amazing week there. We also learned that "fruit snack leaches" are nocturnal and live in wood paneling. We had so much fun playing on the beach and playing board games.

July: We went out to Grantsville and watched the parade and spent the day with Kenny's family. We then went to the drive in movies with Jessie and her family and saw The Last Airbender. I don't care what other people think, we liked that movie. I also got this crazy idea to bring home a kitten. I was told that it was a girl and she is so cute, I had to name her Bella (yes, I am that big of a twerd). Just a couple months ago I found out that Bella is not a girl and so to stick with the Italian theme, Kenny suggested we name him Tony (like from the Sopranos). So, Bella is now Tony. None of us can believe how fast he has grown and he is still so handsome.

August: This is the month when all of our medical fun started. My body finally said enough was enough and I woke up one morning not able to use my left arm and was in tons of pain. Went to instacare and they said I was fine and sent me home with pain pills. I then found a wonderful doctor who was able to help me and let me know that one of my ribs was out of place, he gently put it back in place and suggested that I be tested for Fibromyalgia. He also informed me that my anxiety was out of control. I don't even remember telling him that I have anxiety. I took the boys to my new doctor and they loved him. He did their annual exam and signed all their paperwork so they could go to scout camp. Both boys went to Scout camp for the first time (they let T go a year early). Kenny was one of the adults that went and they all had so much fun. Both boys were able to pass off so much. The also started school at the end of the month; Taylor started 6th grade and Kelton started 8th grade and was on the peer leadership team.

September: My family had a little intervention and informed me that I needed to stop working. I was in so much pain and my anxiety was so out of control that I needed to slow down and get everything under control. My mom let me know, very nicely, that she truly felt that I was on the verge of a complete breakdown. Kenny later told me that he really thinks that I was having a breakdown. I quite my job and we quickly realized that we couldn't afford our house and that we needed to find someplace that was more affordable. We began apartment shopping and was able to find the perfect place for us.

October: We moved into our cute little apartment and put most of our stuff in storage (thank you Chris). Both boys decided that they wanted to change over to their new schools, so we switched them to a whole new school district. So far it has been a very good move. Both boys are doing wonderful in school and are making some good friends. Toward the end of the month we found out that I needed to have a little procedure done and that Taylor needed surgery. So, for Halloween, we rented movies and had a scary night movie fest. It was so much fun, I had a ball watching movies with our family and having that bonding time together.

November: This month started with me having an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. The next week Taylor went in for surgery number 6 to put plates on his growth plates to stop the growth in his long leg. He will need 2 more surgeries to take out the hardware and we find out in January when his next surgery will be. We also had Thanksgiving this month, obviously, and it was wonderful. This was our year with my family and everyone was there. The food was great and it was fun to visit with everyone.

December: We hit our deductible!!!!!! I got to have my second girls day out with my sister. I really don't think 2 is enough. Christmas was wonderful. We spent lots of time with family and the boys were completely spoiled. I joined the ward choir and sang in the Christmas program. We got to put tires on the Ford for the second time this year. Oh, and did I mention that we hit our deductible!! Now that we've had to pay cash for everything, I can go get a few of our prescriptions filled and not have to pay for them.

We had such a crazy (sometimes literally) year. It was good and our family has grown so close to each other. I have seen my boys care for each other when I couldn't. I have had both of them take care of me when I've had really bad days. Kenny and I have also grown closer and I've watched our marriage grow more meaningful. I have been amazed at how much help and love we've been shown by our neighbors and by our family. I hope everyone had a wonderful year as well and I wish us all an amazing 2011.

Are we moving backward?

I took my boys to see a movie and then go shopping so they could spend some of their Christmas money. We all needed a day out to just have some fun. I had 2 very important realizations that day. One, don't go to the movie theater during Christmas break on a Tuesday when they have $1 drinks and popcorn. You find out quickly that every day care in the area is there as well. We were able to buy our tickets to get in (and heard behind us 3 adults and 18 children). As for the concession stand, forget about it! The line to get drinks was wound through the lobby. I went down later to get us a drink and still had to wait 15 min. It was absolute craziness and there was children everywhere.

That was the silly part of the day. The real reason I'm writing is because of my realization number two. We went shopping at Target so the boys could get a couple things. I am such a worry wort of a mother that I never let us split up and shop separately, but this time I did. I am so happy that they weren't with me when I encountered a couple that made my mouth drop open. Here is how their conversation went:

wife, "you're stupid."

husband, tried to respond but I don't think he actually got a complete word out.

wife, "that's right, because you're stupid."

husband, hunched over and speechless.

wife, "see you are stupid."

My first thought was to walk over and tell that wife that she is a cow. I stopped myself and thought how this might impact that husband and the words never left my mouth. I did however tell her in my head that she was a cow several times.

We all know that there is still a lot of abuse out there and that most of the time the shelters for battered woman and their children are full. But, to see abuse in Target while shopping left me stunned. It also left me with my mouth hanging open because it was the wife that was the abuser. I always thought this was rare because up until a couple Oprah shows that I've seen recently, the only person that I knew of that was a man and was abused was Kelsey Grammer. My heart instantly went out to this man and couldn't help but think what it must be like at home if this is what it is like in a public place.

I stopped for a couple seconds to look around and see if anyone else had noticed what I had just noticed. No one looked in their direction or stopped what they were doing at all. Was it because she was "just" calling a man stupid? Was it because we are so accustomed to hearing people speak this way to each other that no one thought anything of it. I'm still sitting here wondering what the real story is between these two people and wondering how someone could speak to someone else that they are supposed to love the way she did. I know that right now when it should be a happy time for most families that in reality it ends up being the most stressful time of the year and that this is when the most abuse occurs. In this particular circumstance, I don't know their whole situation and I could be jumping to conclusions. My heart still goes out to that man and I hope he is doing okay.

People have been trying for years to raise awareness of abuse and that it can happen to anyone. I have been watching it in my family for years and am always amazed that anyone would allow themselves to be controlled (yes, that is a form of abuse). I'm amazed that with all the help out there people still allow themselves to be hit and belittled. I was completely amazed to see it on TV when one of the teen moms went after her husband and began hitting him. I know that it raised some concerns and that instance is being investigated, but as far as I know, it's only because she acted that way in front of her children.

Does anyone else out there wonder if our society is moving backward? Are we all really so desensitized that we barely blink twice when we see violence? I'm beginning to think that I have just been naive to think that things could be getting better when they're not. All I do know is that there are three men out there that are being controlled by their wives and forced to give up things that they enjoy and some of the things that make them happy. For a couple of these men I have watched them go from being happy and lively to functioning and just going through their daily routine. I have also watched as some of the women in our family have gone through the same things. Some have left and improved their situation and others are still hurting. They have gone from trying to occasionally stand up for themselves to now not even liking holidays and sounding more depressed then ever.

I know exactly why all of this has bothered me and I guess I'm wondering if I'm the only one out here that would allow this to bother me. I have thought for a couple of days how to try to express my thoughts on this and still feel that I've missed it somehow. I also feel that if I had just written what I heard and then used a bunch of statistics that people stop listening. Now, I'm just rambling, so it's time for me to stop. I do hope that this has made some of us think and be more mindful of those around us that are suffering.

Christmas Morning

All creativity has left me today. I think the hussle and bussel of getting ready for Christmas morning has temporarily left me unable to come up with anything to creative. I hope quickly labeling each of the pictures is good enough.

I hope everyone out there has had a wonderful Christmas and has been able to enjoy your traditions. We had a blast last night having our Christmas Eve dinner of Spaghetti, Meatballs and Sausage. We were blessed to have Helen with us again this year and Naloni has also joined our Christmas eve tradition. Naloni works with my mom and I'm glad that she was able to come and be a part of our family for the evening.

This Morning the boys woke up early, but was willing to wait until 6:00 am, they shut their bedroom door and played. The did give us a ten minute and five minute warning though. All their patience ran out at 5:59 am, so we all got up.

Kelton is opening his stocking and amazingly enough he is smiling that he got socks and underwear.

Taylor also emptied his stocking quickly and was just as excited to have socks and underwear. They also both got some candy and soap that matched their stockings.

They got one present to share and here they are opening it. They got 007 Golden eye. They are back in their room playing it right now.

Kelton with his Black Eye Peas CD. It was the only one we didn't have.

Taylor with one of his transformers.

Kelton got his Halo "Legos"

Taylor with both of his Decepticons.

Kelton with his Harry Potter Lego's, he wanted the train and it was first on his Christmas list.

Taylor with his Nerf gun. He also got one from his Grandma's. We are getting to the point where we might need a Nerf gun case.

Taylor with his special Green Goblin. Someone special found this for him and he loves it.

Just another picture of Kelton with his loot.

Tony had fun playing with all the wrapping paper and boxes. He was in Kitty heaven.

By this time Kelton had most of his Lego sets put together, here he is working on the Harry Potter train. Very serious business!

Charlie received a stocking from his Aunt Maggie for Christmas. I gave him this cute reighndeer and usually we have a timer running at to how long it will take for Charlie to gut it. I feel asleep so I'm not sure but when I woke up there were reighndeer guts all over the floor.

Taylor was done by about 10 am. I think we were all feeling the same way :)