December events...

MERRY CHRISTMAS! But before I write about our day, I have to recap the past couple of weeks...we've been busy!

First, thing I need to post about is Ashton doing the spelling bee at school! I don't know about you, but this is a huge fear for me. He was very confident, up until the morning of and then he had a breakdown. We talked about him just getting through the first word and then he can worry about the rest after that. I said, "worse case scenario...you don't spell it right and we leave early and go get an ice cream cone to celebrate". He thought that was a good idea. It was after school and his brothers were awesome and wanted to support him (we all took turns reviewing words with him over the past couple of days/nights). So, we all showed up at his school and here are some pictures of him

He was close to the end of the first round and he had the word "siege". He missed it by spelling "seige". I could happen to any of us. I think he was secretly relieved. So, we went home early and had an ice cream cone! He did awesome!

We had several Christmas parties we went to. Scott and I went to a Primary Christmas breakfast for all the Primary workers. We had a fun little gift exchange (white elephant). I got a Christmas tie that Ashton loves to wear! I forgot what Scott got. It was fun. I really love the people I work with and I love serving the kids. Seriously the best calling! Then we had a Relief Society Christmas party. There were at least 50 women there. I had two friends call and ask if we could go together! I was so excited that I had friends that wanted to go with me!!! We all three ended up going together. It was a lot of fun. I do get nervous, though, because I am still new, and so I make myself introduce myself to at least one or two people that I haven't met yet. One, I met, was not very active, and her name was Kim. I was glad that she came so that I could meet her. She was really nice. The second one, Amy, had just moved here, too from Idaho. I teach two of her kids in Primary. We talked about the transition and how the kids are doing.

We had a lot in common and it was really great to talk with her. The very next night, we had the ward Christmas party. I really have to struggle to be able to help here because there are so many people that offer to do it! I guess that is good, but different. Someone couldn't believe that I would sign up to do green beans (just out of a can) AND potato casserole AND help in the kitchen! It's like it is un-heard-of here! I was grateful they let me anyway! They had dinner and about 200 people showed up. There was a talent show and Ashton and the Deacon's Quorum performed "12 days of Christmas"...Deacon style and then they played their Harmonicas...here is the video below...

School has ended. Alec and Calvin don't know what their final semester grades are, but I can tell you that they managed to pull their grades (in the one class they were failing) up to passing (D's) right before they took their final. I asked them if they felt good about what they had done, and they could honestly say that once they started trying, they did their best. That's all we ask of them, really. I know we aren't going to be perfect and jumping into this school and the requirements they ask of them compared to Snow Canyon High is like going from elementary school to high school without a warning! So, I expect this next semester will be much better. They have set goals and standards for themselves, and realize that this isn't for me and Scott, but for themselves. YAY!!!

On a side note, I have to tell of something SO exciting to me! It happened to Derrek and Alec is now finally there. We call it "their brain connected" moments. I walked into the boys bathroom the other night, trying to get the boys to finish getting ready for bed and there was Alec CLEANING the bathroom. Derrek can attest, but Alec was one of the messiest donors of the bathroom...not anymore! He kept saying "this place is so gross. The counters are gross. Everything is gross!". I just looked at him in shocked and asked if he was okay. Needless to say, at 9:30 at night, he cleaned the whole bathroom! And since then, he has taken notice of things and been nicer and more mature about decisions and life. It is such a wonderful thing to look forward to when they are teenagers! I thought it was just Derrek, but it is Alec, too, which means that the others will someday also say "this bathroom is gross" and I'll find them cleaning it up! YAHOO!!!

We got things cleared up with Dallen's teacher. I knew that Dallen wasn't all innocent, and found out that his little friend had issues with the teacher and it was almost like he and Dallen were "misery loves company". The next Monday, after I had threatened Dallen that he was going to re-do 6th grade, with the same teacher, his friend actually changed schools. Dallen came home and said that school was good and that things with the teacher were good. Then he told me about his friend moving (his friend didn't clean out his desk because, he told Dallen, that he wanted to make the teacher do it!). Then Dallen told me about how much work he got done. AMAZING! So, the whole next week, things were getting better with the teacher. She was more complementary to Dallen and he responded by being his jovial self. YAY!!! So, I am pretty sure things are going to be just fine.

Scott finished up classes with a 4.0! We just found out that he got awarded a scholarship for $1,500 from a Funeral Home Scholarship Fund that was NATIONWIDE! He was one of two recipients! We could not believe that he was chosen. We feel so blessed and watched over. We sat down the other night and started writing all the miracles and blessings that have happened in the last year because we don't want to forget them. We have filled up a page and those are just the big ones that we remembered in a 15 minute period! I know there are more. I want to post them on the wall and have spots so that we, as a family, can put down more. I would love to help the kids be involved in seeing all their blessings as well. It's just been so humbling. Scott said that he actually misses school. He has really enjoyed it. He has been able to work full time and will do so for a month! This last week he had a whole day of overtime, and he has also taken on night calls (picking up people in the middle of the night if someone calls), and taking phones for a night. It pays decent, and so he figured a night or two of doing that would be okay.

I really appreciate him sacrificing his sleep to earn a little extra money. He is in it for the training, though. He knows that if he is ever wanting to own his own place, he needs to know every aspect, and he has been blessed to be able to do a lot.

We went to the Mesa temple lights and watched Scott's teacher (she's Catholic) sing at the temple grounds with a stake in Gilbert. The Stake and the Catholic church combined choirs and sing every year to "put away differences and come together in their love of Christ". It was great. They had a whole bell ensemble. It was beautiful and well done. Here is a picture of Dallen at the lights. The other boys wouldn't pose for me!

We were going to go to St. George this last week. It started out going to pick up Derrek and bring him back home, but that wasn't going to work out. So, then it turned into taking the kids up to see their friends, see Derrek, and then come back for Christmas. That didn't work out either. Calvin and Alec were frustrated because they said, "there just isn't anything left for us there". They have had to let go of what they were holding onto there. It was kind of sad, in a way, almost like a death. Calvin was sad, the most. We then tried to get Derrek to come home. I found out the boys had been fighting and not saying nice things (Calvin and Alec trash talking Derrek), and he really didn't want to come home. I laid into Calvin and Alec and told them they had better fix this. They knew they had messed up and tried really hard to let Derrek know they just miss him and hate that things are different. I hope he knows that. Anyway, we tried getting him home, but it just wasn't working, either.

So, I told Derrek that sometimes things don't work out and there is always a reason and we need to trust that reason and be okay with it. I was sad, though, because I just love having my boys around. I realized that this is going to be my challenge as a mother of boys. We will just have to make new traditions and ways to stay connected.

Instead of going to St. George, I decided to take that little bit of gas money and split it into activities that the boys and I can do during this break. So, the kids each picked a day to do something and they have a budget. We did Alec's day and he picked ice skating. Thanks to coupons, we are going to be able to do all their activities! I love coupons! Here are some pictures of the kids ice skating. They were pretty good! They have a few bruises, still!

Do you like the hospital advertisement on the wall in the background? I thought that was pretty funny!

Oh, we also had my sister, Jenette, and her husband Craig and their new daughter, Hanna, come to visit us on their way to moving out to Virginia! We were so glad and grateful that they would make the effort. We had not seen Hanna yet and I am glad I got to. She is so chunky and cute! Also, Jenette brought her gerbils for us to keep. Here is a picture of them and then a picture of our dogs...do you see a theme here?!?

Give up?!? Our animals are all the same coloring! We have a black/white gerbil and a tan one and a black/white dog and a tan one! The kids can't remember the names that Jenette named the gerbils and so they have resorted to calling them "Shep and Angel" because they look like the dogs! They have been great to have around again. We love gerbils. We are also babysitting some for a friend in our ward. So, we have four gerbils right now!

Okay...Christmas...

Last night we had Christmas Eve dinner with all the Bowler's here in town and Jeff came down, too with his roommate, Steven. It was great, and John and Rebecca were nice enough to take on hosting all of us. We usually have it at Heidi's house, but she had been in the hospital all week with complications with her liver due to, they think, combinations of medications she had been taking. She is doing better now and got to come home on Friday evening and we are all grateful that she is doing better and got to come home for Christmas. We ate and had a little program that, for some reason, I was put in charge of. I think I am the worst person to do something like that, but whatever...So, I stuck to the basics. I had Scott read Luke 2 and broke it up with Christmas hymns that went along with the story. In my mind it was perfect. I don't know about the rest, but I just wanted to remember Christ and sing a little.

We exchanged "cousin" gifts. The boys liked that. Scott and Dallen then went to a Methodist Christmas service with Wes at 10:00 pm. They said they enjoyed it. Dallen was so tired when he got home and almost didn't want to wake up this morning!

We have been very overwhelmed by the generosity by family and the Lord. We had really just settled in our minds that we were not going to really have a Christmas, as normal, and instead we would just find ways to serve. It's really better that way, anyway. We were blessed this month with an extra paycheck, and with it were able to buy the kids one gift each, pretty much. We have never really spent much on Christmas gifts and I consider this a blessing coming into this year because all the kids were fine with not getting anything or very much. I love them for that. They told me today that they would have been okay if it ended up that they didn't get anything, and I know that would have been true. So, we were able to get them one gift each. Thanks go coupons and shopping the sales and being patient...I was able to get a couple of things the boys really wanted/needed (even the dogs got their yearly treat of a bone and stuffed animal!).

Dallen got a bike. He has been wanting one for awhile and I am sure will be glad that he won't have the chain fall off every time he tries to ride home from school. Ashton got a hoodie with headphones and a flying helicopter. Alec and Calvin got a Kinect that came with 3 games!

I found a great deal on it and was so grateful, because if they are going to play the dumb thing, they might as well move :). Actually, it is really fun.

Family members gave us more than we could ever imagine and Scott and I both keep trying to formulate words to tell them how appreciative we are, but nothing seems to be right. Calvin and Alec got some really cool legos, Ashton got an MP3 player, Dallen got a great fishing pole, but after seeing Ashton's MP3 player, he really wish he had that. After I let him pout it out for awhile and when he was done, I told him that I am sure we could return it and get him the MP3 player like Ashton's. So, that is the plan (sorry mom and dad...I should have known!). Family also gave the kids $25 gift cards to spend and gave Scott and I money and gift cards to our favorite restaurants (Cafe Rio, Paradise Bakery, and Outback) as well as a Kohl's gift card, which will come in handy because today Dallen was complaining of his legs hurting...growing pains! My parents gave me a calendar with pictures of me growing up (scary!) and all the family member's birthdays with their pictures on their day. I thought it was a great idea and really appreciate it. Shep and Angel got their annual bones and plush toy. They are happy and Shep tries to carry them both around! We had a wonderful church service with music and program. Scott was the narrator and did a great job. We just feel very blessed to be healthy and together. We have a roof over our heads and because of the goodness of others, and God, have been able to have our needs met and then some.