Nativity time...

For as long as I can remember I always wanted a beautiful nativity set: "Willow Tree for Demdaco" to be exact. I saw this one years ago and just thought it was gorgeous, but too expensive. So, I settled for the smaller, cheaper ceramic kind (which after 4 kids they were all broken and glued together too many times). Then, last year I broke down and shopped for weeks online for my dream Nativity Set. The Willow Tree Collections of any kind are just beautiful. The figurines are amazingly carved to depict their purpose. I shopped and shopped until I found a great deal. 40% off and free shipping was just as good as I got for weeks. So, I went for it! Oh, and how glad I am that I did!!! It was such a joy to see it set up in our living room and watch the kids talk about the figurines and discussed who each represented. Although, I was anal about not letting any of them touch them...so we bought (a gift from the Abuelos) a kid's nativity set by Fisher Price that lights up and plays music. Greatest toy ever! This year I had the kids help me out with it. I was nervous that they would break them, but I wanted them to do something as a family, and we could talk about the Savior's birth at the same time. With each figurine we discussed who each was and I kept reminding the girls to please be extra careful. James had the honors of setting up the nativity on our mantle. After two ripped boxes and one broken goat's ear...we managed to look back and enjoy the sweet reminder of why we celebrate Christmas! We'll be setting up our Christmas Tree tonight with Dad. We are all excited! P.S. James took most of our pictures today, he did a great job!!

Thanksgiving Day & Station Rotation...

We had a great day together! Rob finally got a Thanksgiving Day off to be with us all day and be a part of the preparations and cooking. We wanted to get the kids excited about helping out, so we turned to our family's "Station Rotation" technique. Rob and I do this when we want to spend time with the kids and do it in a way that it is structured and productive, as well as fair. We chose four stations for about 15 minutes each to rotate with. One was Cooking with Mom, then Cleaning with Dad, computer time, and reading time alone. It worked out perfect! We got so much done in an hour. The kids worked side by side with Rob and I, and we had a blast. They also learned how to cook some casseroles and prepare the chicken. The Eliza led a game of "Pin the hat on the Pilgrim" which she prepared herself. That was fun!

Dinner was delicious, except the chicken was tougher than we thought. It was very chewy and hard. We sort of expected that...Britt was a young Rooster, we still ate our portions and enjoyed them with some gravy and cranberry sauce. Anyhow, we took turns sharing what we are thankful for, and this is what came out...Sophia said that she was thankful for "NOTHING", Eliza said she was thankful for "Britt, our Rooster", Juliette for "Heavenly Father and Jesus", and James said "that he is thankful that we could be thankful". Pretty cute! The cutest yet, was when Sophia was saying our family prayer and said "Heavenly Father, Thank you for letting us have a great time killing Brit". We couldn't believe it and we coudln't help but laugh!

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

One of Life Lessons...

We did it!!! We survived our first butchering of a chicken (that sounds horrid). The kids anxiously awaited for Rob to come home from work to catch "BRITT " (our Rooster) and prepare him for our Thanksgiving Dinner. The catch was easier than we thought and before we started the process, James had a chance to practice with his "Machete" how to make a straight and accurate cut. Rob and I held the rooster while James took a step into "Manhood". He did a great job. Soon after, the drama began, Eliza began to cry. Juliette's reaction was one of joy, because she wasn't going to be attacked anymore by Britt when she would go get eggs in the coop. Sophia was a bit quiet, but didn't really show much of a reaction. Then we started draining the blood, and Juliette began to cry. Rob took the time to give them the "this is Life" talk again. That didn't seem to comfort the girls much. James was so sweet to hug his sisters. Sophia cried next after the rooster was submerged into the boiling water, which was not boiling as hot as we had hoped for, so we thought that leaving it longer would be best. Well, it loosened the feathers alright, but the skin came off with them as well. OOPS! Rob had the honors of taking off the feathers and de-gutting it. He gave Eliza an anatomy lesson, she was fascinated! (we think she will be a nurse someday). He felt bad that the skin was coming off. But, I figured it would still work out and reassured him. We can expect perfection on our first attempt, and I am sure we'll have another chance since we have more chickens. Hopefully not any time soon. I prepared the chicken by brining him for an hour (to attempt to make the meat more tender and juicier, we are worried that it will not be) and then left it marinading over night. The girls finally got over the trauma and began choosing which parts of the chicken they would eat. Overall it was a good experience (the girls' reaction was expected). Not too bad for our first time!!!

Make a Smilebox photobook

I am grateful for Families...

I have been wanting to blog our whole family for some time and express my graitude for them. It is an amazing thing how two people can fall in love and create such a priceless gift like the Family. I am thankful for Heavenly Father's Plan and for the importance the Gospel expresses of this unity. It is an important thing in our society and in our lives to be part of... My family comes in all sizes and colors, it is very divers. I found the most recent pictures I could find of as many family members as we have. I don't have a lot of pictures of many and none of some, but what matter is that I tell them Thank you for being a part of our lives! Mi Familia: Gracias por todo el amor y el apoyo que recibimos de ustedes. Le dio muchas gracias a mi Padre Celestial por la familia que tengo. Es un privilegio de tenerlos en nuestra vida, de lejos or de cerca.

Make a Smilebox photobook

Juliette and I...

Juliette didn't have to go to Kindergarten for two days. Today Sophia had Preschool so it was just Juliette and I. We watched "Alvin and the Chimpmunks", worked on the alphabet, numbers and math, and then she made us lunch. It was so sweet. We had a great ime, but she was sure excited to go pick up Sophia so that she could play outside with her, and ride their bikes in the carport. I didn't take pictures of all these activities, but I did take some of her arranging the alphabet and numbers in order. She did it all by herself. It was a big deal for her. I was very proud of her...

Eliza...Just get the job done!

I tell ya...There seems to be a plague of "potty breaks" that hits prior to doing a job/chore at our house. I mean, the kids just get this sudden urge to go to the bathroom when they are told to do their assigned daily chore. Eliza is the worst of them all, and she can be in the bathroom for over 15min. before she finally decides to come out and do her job. All she has to do is empty out the dishwasher. It drives me crazy. I have had days where I make her hold it in, because it is just outrageous to me. It also helps her get the task done faster. But I don't do that every time. I told her I would blog her the next time she would do this...well, she forgot and I followed through. So, here is the proof...

Family movies...

I just had to share the latest movies that our family has enjoyed the last month or so. We love watching movies, especially since we don't have cable TV. These were ones we just really had some great laughs, jumps, and tears to share. Perhaps you have already seenthem, but if not they are worth renting.

Snickerdoodles, a family favorite...

I usually only make these around the Holidays. I don't know why I don't make them all year-round. We just love eating them with a nice cold glass of milk...Sophia is the only one that hasn't developed a "taste" for them, but she will not turn one down. I thought I would share our favorite recipe with you all. Enjoy making them...they are yummy and irresistable. Trust me, I had over 8 cookies in one day. I had some for breakfast, for lunch, for a snack and for dinner as treats. They are addicitve. Make them if you dare! "SNICKERDOODLES" 1/2 C. butter 1 C. sugar 1/4 Tsp. baking soda 1/4 Tsp. cream of tartar 1 Egg 1/2 Tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 C. all purpose flour ---For rolling the dough into mixture --- 2 Tbsp. sugar 1 Tsp. ground cinnamon Bake at 375 degrees, for 10-11 min. Make the dough into 1" balls and roll into the sugar and cinnamon mixture to coat. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

YUMMY!!!!

To every Woman I know...

I have to admit that I cannot express enough, in words, the great influence many of you women have had on me and my loved ones, through out my life! I am touched by the amount of love, talent, service, patience, long-suffering, charity, selflessnes, sacrifice, forgiveness, tolerance, etc...that I have witnessed and experienced through you. I recently listened to a talk in regards to Women. I loved it so much that I had to listen to it again and then read it online. It was so inspiring and it really got me thinking about every woman I know. That includes my Mom, Rob's Mom, my Sisters, Rob's sisters, Aunts, Grandmas, Great-grandmas, friends, my Daughters...and the important role we all play in each other's lives as well as others'. We are priceless in God's eyes, we are of Divine Worth, we are of great importance and value in terms of God's Creations and Plan. We have the greater influence of good over evil. We have an important calling and role to fulfill. I could just go on. But, I will simply quote Sis. Sheri Dew from her talk "Arise, Awake, and Come Unto Christ". You can listen to it or read it for yourself online by going to: http://ce.byu.edu/cw/womensconference/archive/2008/pdf/sheriDew2008.pdf or http://www.byub.org/findatalk/details.asp?ID=5770 "...it is actually easier to motivate someone to do something difficult than something easy. That’s because the status quo is uninspiring. Our spirits crave to progress, and if we aren’t moving forward, we’re not happy. We believe in progression, and progression is by design difficult. How inspiring would it have been if our Father had said, “Be ye therefore mediocre”? Though our knees buckle at times under life’s pressures, none of us wants to stay just like we are. Embedded within our spirits is the need to become more and more like our Father. We are far more motivated to do something difficult than something easy." "I invite us to awake to who we are and to the expansive reach of our influence as women of God. To arise by making of our lives a ministry, as the Savior did. And to come unto Christ by walking away from the world." "President Thomas S. Monson said, “We cannot escape the influence our lives have upon the lives of others.” My message today is about influence—our influence as latter-day women of God. Tragically, Lucifer has lulled us to sleep about the profound kind of influence our Father gave His daughters. We are a sleeping giant, the alarm clock is ringing, and it’s time to wake up." "There are five principles about influence we need to understand: first, we all have more influence than we think; second, righteous influence is a spiritual gift; third, having influence is not about elevating self but about lifting others; fourth, it isn’t possible NOT to have influence; and fifth, women of God have influence that has no limit and no end. With these principles in mind, consider what President Joseph F. Smith said to the Relief Society in 1914: “It is not for you to be led by the women of the world; it is for you to . . .lead the women of the world in everything that is praiseworthy, everything that is Godlike, everything that is uplifting and . . . purifying to the children of men” (Relief Society General Board Minutes, 1914). We are here to influence the world rather than to be influenced by the world. If we could unleash the full influence of covenant-keeping women, the kingdom of God would change overnight. No one has more influence on husbands than wives, on children than their mothers, or on young men than young women. Show me the women of any family or community, and I will show you the character and soul of that family and community. I repeat, if we would unleash the full influence of covenant-keeping women, the kingdom of God would change overnight. This is why Satan has never underestimated us. He knows we are at the heart of the Father’s plan. So from the beginning, Lucifer has worked with a vengeance to distort the very definition of womanhood and to confuse everyone about us, including us. Here are just a few of Lucifer’s lies: That men are smarter, have all the power, and are more important, so if we want to have influence we should be more like them; that marriage and family are confining; that motherhood is menial and a waste of any talented woman’s time; that women are perpetually frazzled and failing; and that a woman’s value is based on her size, shape and what she accomplishes outside the home. Too many women have bought these lies. Our culture is disintegrating at the speed of light, and unfortunately, our gender is doing a lot of the damage. Sleazy, immoral, cunning women who flaunt their indiscretions jam the airwaves and monopolize magazine covers. Yet we watch their shows, donate to their causes, and even see them as models. I recently heard a talk-show host quoted in Relief Society. Come on, surely we haven’t become so numb that we would endorse an openly immoral celebrity in the Lord’s organization for women?" "Here is the truth about womanhood. Our Father gave His daughters a divine endowment of gifts that give us unique influence. First and foremost, we have the high privilege of bearing children. If mortality is the time in all eternity to prove ourselves, then there is nothing more important than bearing children and leading them along the path home. President David O. McKay said that, “motherhood is the greatest potential influence . . .in human life” (Improvement Era, 1953, 452). Our Father also gifted us with the nature to nurture, keen sensitivity to the Spirit, selflessness, discernment, and heroic faith. No wonder our Father placed us at the heart of the family and thus at the center of the plan of salvation. We are the Lord’s secret weapon. Pre-mortally, when our Father described our role, we must have shouted for joy because of the ennobling stature He gave women in His kingdom. The world won’t tell us this stunning truth, but the Spirit will. By virtue of the fact that we are here today, covenant women during this culminating era, every one of us has a unique opportunity to change the world. It is time for us to wake up to the potential magnitude of our full influence as latter-day women of God and then to arise and do what we were sent here to do." "Sisters, it is high time for us to arise and have the influence God intended us to have. It is high time for us to lead the women of the world. It is high time for us to model the distinctiveness and happiness that sets true followers of Jesus Christ apart..." Thank you to every Woman I know for your example and friendship...You are all amazing women! Don't ever forget who you are and how influential you can be.

Arrow of Light...

We are so proud of James. He has earned his "Arrow of Light" in Cub Scouts (graduated from Cubs) and has moved on to Boy Scouts. He was so excited when he was crossed over that he forgot to stay around to get his award and other stuff he had earned. We managed to take some pictures. I can't believe that my Boy is 11 years old already!

Preparing us for the Second Coming...

Girls spending time together...

Rob and James are at the tower tonight and I had the privilege of spending time with my girls. Sophia had a hard time, she is showing signs of a possible ear-infection so she was not happy, but we managed to find things to do that kept her busy and entertained! We had an easy Mac 'N Cheese dinner with some delicious bread. Then we had a game of drawing pictures...we would pick out this paper from the container and draw whatever it said on it, like "apple" or "eyes". We would try to draw in less than 30sec. It was really fun. We were all very creative! I was pretty impressed with Sophia's drawings, she did pretty good for a 3-year old! Then we spent some time doing math and reading online for Juliette. Eliza got bored and whipped out some old photo albums, and that was absolutely a blast. We looked at the one from when she was 4 months old thru 7 months. What a cute baby she was? We had a good time, and I enjoyed telling her about the pictures and hearing her laugh at herself. There were a ton of funny pictures of her and James. Before bedtime, they enjoyed some quiet-reading time. It was cute to see them together in one room enjoying their books and Eliza was reading aloud to them. She is such an awesome big sister. I love moments like these. I really need to not take them for granted so much! They are growing up so fast.

When we are not looking....

These girls are so quick to just go outside without asking, rain or shine. They have this little play area (they call it their fort) under some trees and near the back of the house. I can easily see them from the side windows, but often times I don't even know that they are out there. I have grounded them from going outside before as a consequence and lectured about letting parents know when they go outside. URGH! Anyhow, this one time they both came in the house excitedly wanting to show us some great accomplishment that Sophia had just experienced. So we go outside and before we knew it Juliette is tying this rope around Sophia's waist (a perfect square knot, thank goodness) and to our horror, it was pretty scary, she swung from a branch. We let them do this a few times and then took away their creation. Rob promised them he would build them a safer rope swing another day! My goodness, they are pretty darn creative, but something could have gone wrong when we were not looking...