February 2012: by Becky

We’re enjoying a snowstorm today – it’s funny that we’re finally getting some winter weather now that soccer is starting. Hopefully we will see some St. George sunshine this weekend. We’re all doing well…

Ellie lost one of her front teeth. She looks so much older to me. She gave a talk in primary today and read a story from the Friend all by herself. She’s becoming so much more independent. She spends most of her time in pajamas and playing with Miriam!

Miriam has wanted to wear glasses for a few months, since one of her good friends got them. Her vision is perfect, but she finally talked me into taking the lenses out of Auriana’s old pair. She’s been wearing them ever since. Ellie decided to do the same and is wearing Natalie’s old pair of “glassless” glasses. Both the little girls and Natalie competed in an Irish dance feis recently and did a great job, especially of loving and supporting each other whether they do or don’t win.

Enoch is in the middle of Harry Potter. He didn’t make it home from school with the girls the other day, so I got in the car to find him. He was halfway home from school, walking very slowly, and reading Harry Potter 4 while he walked. Enoch, Isaac, and Natalie are all deep into basketball season, with Deacons and Elders quorum games added on, we have 5 games a week. Bjorn is coaching both boy’s teams, so it’s been a little busy for him.

Natalie is a busy young woman, but she seems to thrive on being involved. She has started back into soccer and is preparing for a tournament in St. George this week. It will give us an excuse to go see Jenny and Chad and family, so we’re excited about that! She had fun creating a castle out of legos for a school project.

Isaac is towering over the deacons as he plays basketball with them this year. I hope he makes it through the season without mowing anyone over too badly. As the president of the quorum, he’s been really good about calling all the boys, making sure they have a team, sharing the ball, and making it fun for everyone. Basketball has become his favorite hobby this year and he spends a lot of time practicing, even more than reading. His latest interest is the long board and he has (too many) scrapes and bruises to prove it.

Auriana seems to have “mastered” school this year. Her grades are all nearly 100%. She is involved in a bluegrass band, choir, and volunteering at the library, but she would still prefer reading or just hanging out with cousins, siblings, or friends to anything else.

Photo of the week!

My sweet Grandma passed away this morning...Dec.30, 2012

and she's FINALLY without pain! We all have wonderful memories of Great Grandma Young! She always had a smile and a cheerful word, she was always concerned about each member of her family, and she was so great about finding out and remembering the details of our lives. We were able to see her a few months ago in October ... and will forever keep her in our memories and look forward to seeing her again in the eternities!

Merry Christmas

Jesus Christ is the reason! Of course he is the reason for the giving, the joy, the happiness, the excitement, and the celebrating. Jesus Christ is the reason for all good feelings all year round, but aren’t we grateful that Christmas gives us a reason to reflect and remember Him, to celebrate Him, and to share with others the feelings of love and generosity that He has shared with us.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions started in my family before I can remember. Every Christmas as a child my family would write special notes to each other called gifts of love. We would secretly write them and slip them into each other’s stockings. Then on Christmas Eve night, right before we went to bed we would have the opportunity to read our notes. I remember having wonderful feelings of love and happiness in my heart as I read each written expression from my siblings and parents. As we’ve tried to carry on that tradition and others, above all, I hope that my children will realize through all our Christmas celebrations that…Christ is love, and His love is meant to be felt and to be shared.

HO HO HO!

Enoch wants more legos, Miriam wants a BYU cheerleading costume, Natalie & Ellie said, "I don't know"!

Photo of the week!

We've been to concert after concert, music is a big part of the Christmas celebration for us - this picture was taken at temple square while we were waiting for Auriana's concert to begin.

A new Christmas Song

By Auriana and Natalie

Up on the housetop the reindeer pause
Out jumps good old Santa Claus
Into the chimney he goes with a bound
Then he realizes he's much too round

Oh no no, Santa's stuck
Oh no no, What bad luck
Up on the housetop click click click
Down in the chimney is old St. Nick

First fill the stocking of little Joe
Make sure it's not filled with snow
Then fill the stocking of little Jill
She wants a pickle that is dill

Ho Ho Ho, Who wouldn't know
Ho Ho Ho, Who wouldn't know
Up on the housetop click click click
Down through the chimney with old St. Nick

Then put the presents under the tree
Leave a special one just for me
Then grab your empty sack of toys
And go up the chimney with lots of noise

I wake up and go downstairs
I look for you, but you're not there
Cause you're up on the housetop click click click
You run to your sleigh and then you trip!

Up on the housetop click click click
He ran to his sleigh and then he tripped!

December 2011: by the Kids

Auriana: I had a good Thanksgiving, it was fun to go to our grandma Pendleton’s house and see our cousins. Having school off for the last part of the week was especially fun. The day before thanksgiving, it was my friend’s sixteenth birthday, and she got her drivers license. She celebrated by driving me and another friend to Café Rio to eat lunch. It was weird to be there without a parent. I’m thankful for my family, friends, and for a warm house that I can live in.

Isaac: I had a fun Thanksgiving; we went over to my grandma Pendleton’s house and had thanksgiving dinner there. I also had some of my Pendleton cousins who are my same age come over they spent the night and part of the next day at our house and we had a lot of fun.

Natalie: Thanksgiving was really fun; we went to Grandma and Grandpa Pendleton’s house! The Pecks were there and Isaac, Enoch, Auriana, and I played a lot of games with Jacob and Daniel. It was really fun!

Enoch: I am thankful for my house, my bed, my friends, my family, food, water, the earth. I made it on an accelerated soccer team and I’m really excited.

Miriam: I had a fun Thanksgiving! We went over to my Grandma Pendleton’s house and my favorite thing to eat there was the corn. I’m glad that the Pecks came and I’m sad that none of the other cousins came. THE END.

Ellie: I had a fun time at my birthday. I got two pillow pets and I got a microphone and I had lots of fun there and I got money that I used at the book fair at my school. I had a butterfly birthday party and it was really fun. On the night I had my birthday I went shopping with my Aunt Brenda and my sister Miriam came too. It was just really fun and I bought some pink pants and a pink jacket with a sparkly heart on it and it is really cute. THE END.

Photo of the week!

November 2011: by Becky

Birthday season is officially over. Now I can start thinking about Christmas! September and October at our house seem to be dominated by birthdays, at least in my mind. I enjoy thinking about each of the kids and how to make their day special.

Auriana’s birthday wish was to spend the night at Brenda’s with her 2 Pendleton cousins that are her age. Brenda was so great to take that on and share her Saturday afternoon and evening with three fifteen year olds. She spoiled them as usual and they had so much fun “hanging out” at her house. We gave Auriana a sewing machine for her birthday and she’s excited to learn how to quilt as a personal progress project. She has officially joined Natalie in her bread business. We found a great deal on a used mandolin that is much nicer than the one she’s been using for the last 8 years, so she’s is planning to earn the money to pay for it. She’s been invited to be part of a bluegrass band with some kids from around the area.

The next birthday was Enoch’s. He requested an obstacle course with friends, so Bjorn took over on that one. Enoch invited about 20 boys over and they dribbled a soccer ball around, through, under, and over all kinds of things. They also had a longest kick contest. We gave Enoch a watch that counts your steps, tells the temperature, and tells how fast you are going. I think it even tells the time! He played in his first piano festival yesterday. He played two duets with another boy and got a “superior” rating. He did a great job and said he wasn’t even nervous.

Natalie’s birthday was long awaited. She was the last girl in her primary class to graduate to Young Women, so she watched all of the other girls move on and go to girl’s camp without her. She waited very patiently, but was so excited to “finally” be twelve. They’ve asked her to play her violin in the primary program next week, but then she’ll officially be done with primary. She finished her Faith in God months ago, so her primary teacher got special permission to get her a Personal Progress book early and she’s been hard at work. Her birthday wish was to get new scriptures with tabs. We celebrated that day by taking her to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. The three younger kids got to hang out with Rachel at her apartment for an hour. They had so much fun!

Yesterday was Ellie’s birthday and we had 20 kids here for a butterfly birthday carnival. Isaac helped me with the cupcake walk. Bjorn played Halloween bingo with the kids. Auriana helped them make butterfly bags. Natalie did a butterfly craft, and Enoch did the fishpond. All the shoes and socks were gone after the party, so I guess everyone found their parents and got home okay!! Earlier that morning we celebrated as a family and Ellie opened a little crib, stroller and a new doll that she quickly named Katie. She looked cute all day in her new butterfly outfit that Bjorn picked out for her. She finished out her birthday with a fun shopping outing with Brenda in the evening! She came home with some bubble gum and a cute new jacket and pants. She went to bed very happy!

Isaac and Miriam get to wait until Spring for our next “birthday season”! Isaac finished up his lawn-mowing business this week when the snow came. He estimates he made over $500 this summer. He’s trying to finish up his eagle project before the end of the year or so. He was recently called as Deacon’s quorum president, which has been a new, learning experience that he has handled very well. He is REALLY looking forward to basketball season in January!

Miriam had fun spending the day with Ellie on her birthday – they are so close in age and so good at sharing with each other, that I’m sure Miriam felt like it was her birthday too, with all the new toys to play with. They’ve been busy coloring and playing all morning. I enjoyed going on Miriam’s field trip with her this week to the new (and very amazing) BYU broadcasting building. We also went to a play at the Scera in Orem.