Christmas 2016

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas this year - as usual!  The kids got to open their jammies Christmas Eve.

 Just a disclaimer - Rhett has his eyes clothes in about 90% of the pictures I take of him!!

Zippy's last night left this message.

 The reason for the season.  Baby Jesus waiting for the Nativity.

 Our delicious Christmas Eve Mexican dinner with Italian Sodas!

 We had Scott and Amanda and Kyi and his family over for a few songs, stories and the nativity.  I invited a less active lady I visit teach but she had to work and didn't end up coming.

 Beautiful Bridget reading the story "A Brother Like That" one of her favorites.

 Our amazing nativity.  The kids are always good sports to do this every Christmas Eve.  Something super funny was Mary (Bridget) was riding the donkey (Rhett - because he is always the donkey :) and as they were going past the Christmas tree Mary slid off backwards because the blanket was super slippery on one side.  It was so funny!

 The kids all watching the instant replay on the camera of Mary's graceful fall.

 All the kids decided to sleep upstairs - it was fun.  We hoped they would have more time to hang out upstairs together but Scott's family and us were having too much fun visiting so they stayed pretty late s it was time for girls to just go to sleep.  So here is their daddy laying down with them helping them try to go to sleep.

 Looks like Santa came!!

 The kids anxiously waiting on the stairs to come down.

 Thrilled boy!!  He actually really was but shows his excitement just like his dad - not much at all!

 Going through stockings.

 Rhett Man got a snow board!!!  Just what he wanted!

 Bridget opening a big box  -

 It ended up being a new comforter for her bed.    Probably the most exciting thing was after we were finished we told the kids there was an ornament on the tree that was new.  They looked and looked for it.  Finally Rhett found it and it was a cruise ship.  So YEP! WE ARE GOING ON A CRUISE!  We have been saving our credit card points for quite a while and wanted one last big trip before Bridget graduates.  We hope it is great!  We are going during Spring Break for 4 days to Ensanda and Catalina Island.  We are super excited!

 Rhett playing on a new snow toy.  It started snowing Christmas Eve about 4:00 which was perfect!  The only problem is it didn't last long enough!

 Dustin got beats - nice ear phones.

 Tylinn was most excited about the Polaroid Camera the girls got.

 Kaylee got her ankle boots she wanted so bad and a new dress and gel pens.

 Bridget loves her Converse shoes

 Bridget's cute new dress.  I so bad wanted a picture of all the family in their Sunday Clothes on Christmas but everybody left and got home at different times so it didn't work out.

 Barr and Noah came for a visit that night.  Fun boys!

 We went to Snowflake on Monday - day after Christmas.  I think this is the only picture I took.  The kids were eating breakfast so those 12 and older could go to the temple.

It was a wonderful Christmas.  This year the church put out the Light the World - and 25 ways to serve in 25 days.  We reflected on the Savior more this year then most and I know that is why it was so good! And nothing beats being home as a family with nothing going on!  Life is good!

Forgotten Carols - Michael McLean

A couple of years ago Bruce and I went to the valley to see Michael McLean's Forgotten Carols at Gammage.  We loved it!  I was online back in September and saw he was gong to be at the Showlow High School.  So I quickly bought tickets!  It was great to take our family too.  I know the 2 boys and Kaylee didn't love every minute of it but they enjoyed it. Our very favorite part is when we sing "We Will Be Together Someday" and then sing Silent Night and it's over.  The spirit was so strong and there was for sure love in the air.  I sure do love my family!

Christmas Orchestra Concert

The 2 little girls had their Christmas Orchestra Concert.  They both did great playing their little hearts out.

 Bridget with Ruby.  Bridget has a fan club of little girls that love to see her around town.

 Isabella, Tylinn, Megan, Kaylee - beautiful girls!

Tender Mercy

There are many tender mercies in our lives.  Some stand out and we notice and I am sure there are lots that we don't even realize.  Well I want to write this one down.  Bridget has worked her tail off for this College Calculus class.  Hours and hours on test.  Six hours on the final.  Well her grade came and it was a B.  In college they don't do pluses or minus or anything so she didn't really know how high of a B but she knew what she got on the final and her other grades and knew it had to be a high B.  She was pretty bummed because it was the first B of her life.  She knew she worked hard and could deal with it BUT she has this scholarship at NAU that if she gets a B in a class it drops the scholarship down by $1,500 a year.  It doesn't matter if it is a weighted class or not - they go by the letter grade.  We decided it would probably be a good thing to just email her teacher and ask him if there is anything she could do and what the percent was.  She told him if not she completely understood - it is college and she would just take her B.  He emailed her back and said it was an 88% and no there was nothing she could do about it.  But she was a great student and he would be happy to write a letter of recommendation anytime for her.  Well that was that.

A couple of days later Bridget calls me during the day and said that all their test and everything were taken on the computer and so basically the computer calculates their grade.  He said he had a feeling he needed to check just their classes grades to make sure the program put everything in right.  Well he did and it changed a few kids percentages but she was the only one and it pulled her up to an A!!!!!  We are very thankful for a great teacher that listened to that little voice (Mr. Strong - LDS from Joe City) to tell him to recheck his grades.  He said she got the A she had been praying for deserved!  So Bridget held her straight A's again for another Semester.  She has another College Calculus class next semester so we are hoping she can pull an A again.  Getting an A in a College Calculus class is amazing.  The 2 A's in the class are these two in this picture.  Noah's was quite a bit higher then Bridget's but she still did it.

A little side note.  I got the kids report cards yesterday and Straight A's again for everybody!!!  Dustin is taking AP English from Mrs. Curry and it's super hard and he also has a college math 152 class that he has had to work hard at.  Bridget took English 101 too through Dual Enrollment and got 992 points out of 1000.  So thankful for kids that get good grades and care about their future.  We don't reward our kids for A's but figure their reward is later in life with scholarships for college.  Great job kids!

Winter Formal 2016

Bridget and Dustin had fun at Winter Formal.  Dustin went with Olivia and Bridget with Barr.  

 I had hoped to get some pictures of Bridget and Dustin together but Bridget wasn't ready when Dustin left and Dustin got home quite a bit earlier then Bridget so he was ready for bed when she got home.

 Dillon, Emily, Barr, Bridget, Bryce, Taylor

I went to take group pictures with Bridget's group but not Dustin's group - should have found them and took some.  I will see if I can find some online somewhere.  It was a fun night for them.

Zippy and Young Women

Zippy has had fun hiding in our house.  This particular morning he was on a sled at the kids gingerbread house.

 For Young Women last Wednesday we had a fun white elephant sock exchange, had chips and salsa and played bunco.  It was a ton of fun.  Sure love these Young Women and the fun times we get to have.