Christmas Sunday

We were up early to make breakfast for all our church goers.  I found these three enjoying each other.

Nick has a friend that comes to early morning seminary with him.  Kaden came to church with us for the first time.  It was a meeting with mostly song and the few talks were very much about Jesus Christ.  Our little family sang, Grandma spoke, I prayed and we just sat like sardines scrunched all together on our pew knowing and living in relationship with Jesus Christ.

After.

This cute family.

This cute couple.

Us.

I snuck away to carol at a retirement center.  So good.

Our quiet dinner turned into a table of games and togetherness.

A Few Things

 We are so excited to have Andy home for the holidays.  He and Austin watched Eddie take fourth at his wrestling tournament this week. 

Molly spent hours wrapping her gifts she procured at the Dollar Tree.

We've been watching the Choir at Temple Square on byu.tv in the evenings.  The story time messages are all books that we own.  It's really beautiful to hear those stories come to life with majestic music.

We've been in the low 70* all week.  Molly and I rebound in shorts -- or we die sweating.

I crocheted this little crock of holiday flowers.

She also went to the Activity Days white elephant gift exchange.  She gifted a holiday bear, but received a horned giraffe with large eyes -- she loves it.

Maddie braided my hir.

It's almost Christmas -- my cactus is blooming!

Molly and I made this poster to send to Maisie -- we wrapped a box filled with gifts and treats to send to our missionary in Manchester.  Everyone signed ornaments.

Hygiene for all!  Austin's suction actually went down, so we were glad to get in.  He missed three days fixing the problem.  Blast.  

We also finished reading The Book of Mormon as a family this week.  We know that the fruits of the book allow us to live a life in harmony with Jesus and his teachings.  Well, at least we're trying.  "Our kindess my be the most persuasive argument for that which we believe" (GBH).  

I watched byu.tv Christmas shows while wrapping for hours.  Eddie and Ryan rotted.  Nick finished his second Hunger Games book, Maddie napped, and Molly was bored.  I still haven't figured out how to balance all the holiday prep and spend time with the children.  It was one afternoon.  It's fine.

I also laughed way deep down in my belly with Natalie this afternoon.  Ah.  We both needed that.

Maisie's Report

• "I'm three months today!"
• "We had a crazy Sunday -- a nixed baptism, an interferring bishopric and the mission president calling to understand it all."

LIfe

 I baked lots of bread this week.

Eddie's wresting tournament was a little rough --he had to give up weight this week.

Christmas School is happening around here.  We used evergreen flora to create impressions in air-dry clay.  We're going to watercolor them once dry.

A blessed friend brought Sedonuts one morning.  Luckily I hadn't eaten yet, so I added a few bites to my plate.

Austin might have captured the coolest picture of the moon.  We were hoping Jesus was returning.

Whilst chatting with Natalie, I heard the children run outside and use the leaf blower to pile up the leaves for their hammock games.  HAHAHAH!  They tip and turn and throw each other out of the hammocks and into a huge pile of leaves below.  

Tuesday this week a few lovely things to add:

• Nick's guitar is strummed and his humming is so gentle.  He often walks shirtless down that hall to admire his physique.  Austin told him, "You've been working hard -- you look bigger."  Nick responded puffing his chest out even further, "Thanks, Dad."  He then said, "I opened my mission portal today."
  

We helped Grandma prep for the 17 missionaries we have serving locally.

Monday was my dad's 74th birthday.  We celebrated him by adding his picture to the table, flanked with the crocheted cake and Molly's donated Butterfinger candybar.  I have so many questions about parenting I'd like to ask him.   Luckily, my brothers have patterned their lives after him, so I've asked them many of my. hard questions.  I think about him when his music plays, when I eat "jam breads,"  when I see red carnations and rinse my dishes after breakfast.  I sense him with I'm teaching, singing in ward choir, listening to false-setto, or hear a guitar.  I'm a grandparent -- like him -- and I think about the little games he played with my children: tickle-monster, operation and stomping chase.  I know my mother was sad today, both Meg and Andy noticed it.  She's lonely, but never alone.  Her work load is great and unceasing.  She's an angel -- he always knew that about her.

These babies left for their move from Pocatello.  Being a grandma is just delicious.  (Winnie is standing.  Bea is sitting.)

Sunday Nick and Austin blessed the sacrament, and Eddie passed the sacrament.  It's a sacred time to hear and watch my boys live up to their privileges.

We spent the evening watching the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.

Andy dreams of skiing.  He spends all his money on school and all his time at work and forcing himself to go to class.  

Maisie's Update:

• It was a crazy-busy week.
• You have to teach people how to be personally converted.  Questions like, "How does knowing these stories about Jesus Christ change how you'll interact with Him?  How will it change your prayers?"
• She learned how to make potato candy -- one potato and two bags of powdered sugar
• There are way more crazy people in this world than normal people

So this is Christmas

Our ward Christmas party was quite wonderful. I spent the day baking 24 loaves of bread.  That was a thing.  It's always a quite a trick to get a picture of the entire family gathered -- it didn't happen this year.  We ate meats and treats, and we listened to testimonies of Jesus Christ.  Sharon sat with us as well.

Molly needed help finding the hidden objects in the tree.

Austin needed help taking down the perimeter lights.

Earlier that day was the Cottonwood Christmas Parade.  The celebration fell on Pearl Harbor Day, so the floats were Hawaiian and patriotic themed.  Delightful.

Nick and Maddie walked with MUHS swim.

Too much candy.  Eddie concluded, "I like the parade better than Halloween.  We get way more candy, and we don't even have to beg."

Austin and I didnt' make it to Vegas to shop this year, but we did shop in Phoenix and finished our day visiting the Lord in the House of the Lord.

Christmas prep is happening:  I made up my holiday bed.  Meg cleaned the toy closet -- that's a Christmas gift.  Elijah put up Christmas lights on the balcony -- which works perfectly because I can see them at night, and I like it.  Nick started practicing his guitar for our annual concert.  We read Stave 1 of "A Christmas Carol."  We finished rememoring "The Family Proclamation" this week.  Kimmie commissioned a few crocheted Christmas flowers -- that felt good.

Ryan invited me to a Mother and Son tea for Acitivity Days.  We chatted and enjoyed all the little eats.

Maddie made us the best cookies -- chocolate with a peanut butter filling.  Yum.

We played games Sunday evening.

Maisie's update:

• We have 11 lessons scheduled this week!  She was really excited.  She should be.
• The high there is 36*.  Here it's 72*.

To Be Thankful

I prepped most of my feast assignments on Saturday and Monday.  Austin put up the tree and the kids helped decorate when Maisie called.  Of course, football was happening as well.

Andy came to town.  We began our day of thanks playing a ruckus game of flagball: boys vs. girls.  Luckily, Austin was our quarterback, and he didn't keep track of our downs.

Carol brought a charcuterie board that Andy ate most of.

Our morning was the most relaxed, ever.  Austin took care of the meats and veg.  Grandma baked the potatoes and brought the Martinelli's.  Our table was surounded by 15 people and headed by 2 babies.

(I didn't even want to make a salad, so I didn't.  Ha!)

The children were persuaded to sit and eat as long as the adults.  

Then Maddie and her posse performed 8 songs complete with choreography, costumes and lighting. n

We loved it so much.  We ate cheesecake and pie, and then ended the day quietly and with hearts full of thanks."Kick It" Irish Jig "Uptown Funk" "I Gotta Feeling"

Up at 4:30am to head to the Grand Canyon.  The shuttle ride is always the warmest bit.

Sunrise.

We were down to the botton in 2 1/2 hours, and up again in the same amount of time.  We crushed the hike!

Resting at the river.

Maddie's first hike -- she was the first one back up to the top.

Finishers.

More finishers. ''I understimated how hard that would be," Nick's friend, Whitten (the body builder and state swimming medalist) concluded.  I guess it's harder than one would think.

The Armstrongs held down the fort -- Eddie, Ryan and Molly quite prefer them -- and even picked up the ransacked house.

Saturday morning the Christmas decor went up, and the BINGO game went down.  We had never played our favorite game with Elijah before.....How is that even possible?

These two boys showered in 1minute and 23 seconds and the crowd went wild.

Our weekend ended with lots of games -- TENZI cash winners -- and lots and lots of betting on the camels.