Best Christmas Present Ever!

Today Scott got a belated Christmas present....a job offer. He accepted it of course and he starts on Monday at Novarad. The company is a couple of buildings away from Provo College where he takes night classes so that is handy. We won't see him as much as we would like but he only has one year of school so that's not so bad. It has been a long five months but we have seen so many blessings and felt of people's love and support. Now maybe we can get on top of some bills and maybe help others in need! I am just so happy that the waiting is over. We are so blessed that it wasn't longer than five months. Hopefully, he will be here until he is retired! We can hope!

Christmas 2010

Grandma and Mary Ann came to our Christmas Eve dinner and program this year and my mom and dad also came which was wonderful. We had a wonderful roast beef dinner. The next picture is my Christmas Card wall. I have enjoyed all the cards that I received this year. Next year, I will mail out a card..I'm taking this year off :-)

My camera is starting to have issues. Sorry about the blurriness of Kalli. this is Christmas morning opening presents.
Too many presents!
Kalli was excited about all of her presents..I think she is holding up her Christmas stocking in this picture.
My favorite gift (well actually is was Scott's) was Star Trek Scene it game in the background here. Aaron looks very dapper in his new sweater.
Kael played a trombone song for us Christmas Eve.
I made rice bags for all the kids to keep them warm. Aaron hadn't had his for even one hour before he destroyed it. He was pounding it with his lightsaber and it exploded all over the bedroom. I really lost my temper, sad to say. All that hard work down the drain in a matter of minutes. So everyone has a rice bag now except Aaron.

Merry Christmas!

We had such a wonderful Christmas today! I will blog about it next week when I have a little more time. I had to take more movies than pictures because my camera is having issues. We opened presents here at our house about 8 a.m.--that was after about 30 minutes of trying to get Kael out of bed. He was awake but just didn't want to leave his warm bed. "Teenagers...they think they know everything...etc" Anyway, we finally were able to get everyone into the livingroom and by the time all the presents were opened, we could barely stand anywhere in the room! We just had so many presents and wrapping paper everywhere! The kids were so excited about their gifts and we had such a good time opening gifts and thinking about the many people who kindly gave us gifts. Then we got dressed and headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Pyne's house for a yummy breakfast. We had mountain man hash, bacon, sausage, muffins, and cold cereal. Oh, it was to die for! We opened gifts and visited...both my sisters and their families were there that was fun too. Then we headed over to my grandma's house to open more presents. And I got to visit a little with cousins and extended family although not as long as I wanted to. The kids were anxious to get home and play with their new toys before we headed to Lehi. One of the favorite gifts was STAR TREK scene it. Scott and I played a bit and that was a lot of fun. We put Ammon down for a nap and played a Disney version of Apples to Apples with the kids and that was a lot of fun. Later that afternoon, we headed to Lehi in the fog to Scott's sister house for Christmas dinner. It was so yummy! Ham, potatoes, jello and spinach salad. Scott's mom is staying with Rachel this week so it was fun to visit with her also. Then my nephew Zach and his mom Lisa stopped by and we had fun visiting together. After a very long day, we headed home in the even thicker fog and put the kids to bed way after bedtime! Now it is time to think ahead to tomorrow and a very busy Sabbath day! Christmas was wonderful today and the only hard thing is we have to wait one whole year till next Christmas! Next year it is on Sunday which means we will enjoy Christmas all weekend long. Usually when Christmas is on Sunday, we have Christmas Adam (day before Christmas Eve) dinner and program, we open our gifts Christmas Eve morning and enjoy our gifts. Then Christmas day we go to church and enjoy the day visiting family. So that is something to look forward to next year!

Christmas party at the Pyne's

We had a fun party tonight at the Pyne's. We had a buffet and everyone brought a salad and a dessert. I decided to try a new recipe from my Quick Cooking magazine. The recipe is on my cooking blog....anyway, I was so happy at how yummy it turned out and so pretty! After a yummy dinner, my dad and LeGrand played their violins and Emma accompanied them. They played one of my favorites "Gesu Bambino" it was beautiful! Then my mom got out some chimes and held up a board with each of the numbers on it and we played Christmas songs. That was a lot of fun! Emma sang a song and Kevin played my favorite "I saw three Ships sailing" (Jon Schmidt) and for my part on the program, I played Silent Night on the piano and everyone sang. I admit I felt a little intimidated by my other siblings talents...I really don't play the piano that well. But I am trying to practice and I'm trying to remember that they put in the work earlier! Anyway, then we opened presents from each other. We sorely missed Erik and Stephanie and family who are in Kentucky. They were so kind to send us all gifts! Thanks for the hand sanitizer! Anyway, it was just enjoyable to be with the family and enjoy each other's company. The downside of the evening was that Scott wasn't able to be there because he had class. But I did load up some plates of food for him and bring them home. Anyway, it was very fun. Tomorrow, I am doing Christmas Eve dinner at my house so I will busy baking all day long and cleaning house. I'm not quite done wrapping presents and I have some homemade gifts that I need to work on. So it will be a very busy day tomorrow! I love this Christmas season! Merry Christmas all!

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus

I will not ever get tired of saying, "Thank you, Santa!!" over and over...and this season he is popping up everywhere. I am so touched by how many people have reached out to his and wanted to make sure that we have a good Christmas. Last month, as I looked toward December, I resolved that even though we had nothing to give our kids for Christmas, that we would have a good attitude and that we just make sure we emphasized the reason for the season which is Jesus Christ. I felt peace as I looked ahead to a Christmas where I pictured us looking at our tree on Christmas Day with little or no gifts underneath. I know that Christmas is not about presents and getting stuff but still, I knew my kids would be disappointed. As December progressed and Christmas approached closer and closer, I realized that a very different scenario was unfolding. If you look at the picture above, you can see the evidence of the love of many people who want to make sure that our family has a Merry Christmas. I am so overwhelmed by the love I feel for the many anonymous donors that have left money and packages on our doorstep for us this Christmas season. It is so rewarding to see the smiles on my children's faces. Especially Kalli who a few weeks ago was moping around a little trying to be brave saying, "We are getting nothing for Christmas this year since Daddy doesn't have a job." I am resolved to remember this feeling of joy and to remember how good it feels to have people love you and give to you with no expectation of anything in return. We won't always be in this position and I am hoping to be on the giving side soon instead of the receiving. Don't get me wrong, the receiving side can be pretty fun, but I want to give to others also and lift them the way that we have been lifted this year. I learned in primary this year, "When we serve others, you serve God" and I have learned for myself how important service is this year. Merry Christmas everyone and thank you for your love. Our family is having and going to have the best Christmas we have ever had!

School parties

This is a picture of Aidan with his class when they sang their Christmas songs for the parents. The other pictures are of Aidan in his classroom during their class party the last day before Christmas break. I am so grateful for the mothers that come and help in the classroom. This year I wasn't able to help with Aidan's party because I was in lunchroom helping at Kalli's party. I figure since she is in 6th grade and won't be doing this next year, that is where I should be. Maybe next year I can help more in Aidan's classroom. Aaron will be in preschool and Ammon will be a little older so it hopefully will be easier. We did a fun game in Kalli's party. The kids passed around dice and whoever got doubles got to go to the middle and they had dress in a coat, hat, scarf and mittens and try and unwrap a present. So it kept switching around who would unwrap it because when you roll doubles, it is your turn and whoever unwraps the present gets to keep it! It was a lot of fun. Then they had tons of goodies afterward. I think that has been a theme this month is too much food! I am getting a little overwhelmed by the all the goodies everywhere! Anyway, I am glad that the kids had a good time at their school parties and no more school until January!

Marshmallow World!

Wow! Look at all the snow! It's going to be a white Christmas after all! Last night, we went up to Lehi to go Christmas caroling with Scott's sister Rachel and her family and some of their ward members. It was not too cold but it was a little bit but it was still fun to go out and sing Christmas songs. When we came home at about 9:30 p.m. it was a little bit icy on the roads and the snow was starting to come down. I get really anxious and nervous being on the snowy roads, but Scott is a pro driving on them. I guess he is used to Montana roads. Anyway, we made it home safe and sound. This morning, I looked out and wow! I didn't expect to see so much snow. Scott and Aidan got the shovels and got to work removing snow. Then they went to my grandma's with my brother, Kevin to shovel snow. I love the snow when I can stay inside and hibernate and not go anywhere. I think today is a good baking day! You may just see my cooking blog updated later today!

MoTab and David Archuletta Concert

Wow! We were able to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert last night by the generosity of my sister-in-law, Juanita. She gave us four free tickets and Scott, Kael, Kalli and I went up to Salt Lake last night. We left at 4 p.m. and decided to take the Trax up. I am so glad we didn't have to worry about parking up in Salt Lake. It was cold but we were able to get up there by 6 p.m. and in our seats by 6:20 p.m. Then we could sit back, admire the wonderful set that they put together, watch the camera cranes move around and watch the people fill in 21,000 seats. The choir filed in at about 7:15 p.m. As a side note, at about 7:25 p.m., President Monson entered with his wife and the whole conference stood and just was quiet. it is a reverent feeling when the prophet comes into a room and makes 21,000 people stop all conversation and stand up to respect him! Kalli really thought that was neat. He sat down and a few minutes later, the concert started promptly at 7:30 p.m. I wish I could find the words to describe how wonderful it was to be in the conference center. The dancers and orchestra and of course the Choir was just fantastic!!! I had heard of David Archuletta but I wasn't really into American Idol and hadn't really followed his career but WOW! I can see why they invited him. What a charasmatic, cute, talented singer!!! It was fun where we sat because one of the cameras on the crane would occasionally pass over our heads, sometimes so close if we reached out, we could touch it. It was such a wonderful concert and so great to be there in person. I am sure that next year, we will want to get the DVD so we can be reminded of the wonderful memories we made last night. We enjoyed walking through Temple Square to get back to Trax. The lights were amazing. Then we were squished together for a few minutes on Trax like sardines but that didn't last too long. They had to shut down north temple by the conference center after the concert to let the thousands of people cross the street. That was kind of fun to see and be a part of. The drive home after we got to Sandy Civic Center was not fun. At the point of the mountain, we were going 5 mph because the roads were so icy and we didn't miss the storm. The concert was over at 9 p.m. and we didn't get home until 11:30 p.m. But it was totally worth it. I am so grateful for parents for watching my boys so we could go. We wouldn't have been able to go without them doing that and they babysat a long time!! From 4-midnight. I am so grateful to them! We had a marvelous time!

Provo Tabernacle

At 2:43 a.m. this morning, fire crews were called to the scene of the Provo Tabernacle. They have been fighting the fire since then and probably will be all day. What a tragedy. They say in the news that they won't know the cause for another couple of days. I am so hoping it was an accident and not arson. The fire has gutted the tabernacle so far and they don't know if it can be restored. I am so sad. I have so many good memories of the Provo Tabernacle. Conferences and concerts. One particle memory I have is when I was a senior in high school, Mountain View got to perform John Rutter's Requiem and I got to play an oboe solo there. I remember how nervous I was but how it turned out okay after all. The acoustics of the tabernacle made for a beautiful oboe sound. I also remember going to concerts with my best friend, Jana Stutz. I remember a free concert we went to at Christmas time that Kurt Bestor did that was so fun! Oh, the memories. To see a news story, go to Deseret News or ksl.com.

Christmas Letter 2010

This year, for the first time in 17 years, I am not sending out a Christmas card. I know it is silly, but I am proving to myself that I can have a merry christmas without sending out Christmas cards. It costs money (stamps, photos, cards, etc) and I'm trying to simplify this year. I sent out 75 cards last year so I am going into withdrawal. I thought maybe I could ease my withdrawal a little by putting a Christmas letter online. I so appreciate all the cards and love we have received already. Thank you! And Merry Christmas! so here it is:

Merry Christmas!
The years are zooming faster and faster! We can't believe it is the end of 2010 already. It has been a roller coaster year for us with lots of ups and downs. But, we have grown a lot and seen a lot of blessings in our lives and we are grateful.
Ammon turned two years old this past summer and we are amazed at how much he has learned this year. He is our baby but he is no longer a baby but a little boy. He is usually easygoing but when he gets ornery--watch out! He lets you know about it! Ammon is getting more and more independent and you usually hear from him, "I do it!" He loves to play cars, wrestle with his brothers and sing songs. He loves to come with mom and Aaron to the Fitness center twice a week
Aaron turned four in September and started preschool this year. He has learned so much from Mrs. Patterson already! He is my blond boy out of all my dark-headed children! Aaron loves Veggie Tales, he enjoys his Sunbeam class at church and he loves the color yellow.
Aidan is seven and in second grade this year at school. He enjoyed being in the Lego club that they offered after
school. He enjoys playing soccer during recess with his friends. He likes any kind of sport and he is a big Star Wars fan! For his birthday this past summer, he got a clone helmet and a electronic lightsaber and for Halloween, he was Obi-Wan Kenobi! It has been fun to watch Aidan learning and growing this year. He is looking forward to being eight next summer and being baptized and being a scout!
Kalli has had a very full year this year! She turned 12 in the Fall and started Young Women which she really enjoys. She has been working on her Personal Progress and one of her projects she is working on is learning how to make rice and bean bags to keep you warm. That has been a fun thing for mom and daughter to do together. Kalli auditioned for the roadshow that the youth are performing in January and got one of the main roles. She has loved learning how to dance and of course she loves singing. She sang with the Ward Choir Sunday when we performed our Christmas Program. She also auditioned for Peter Pan that the school is putting on in April and will be busy in January with roadshow and Peter Pan rehearsals! She is still taking piano lessons and is looking forward to being in band when she starts jr. high next year.
Kael got his drivers license! Can't believe he is 16 already. The time is going too fast! He has had a busy year also. He has been working hard at school with 16 credits of concurrent enrollment. He completed his Eagle Project this summer--in fact, he did it the day before we left for Disneyland! His project was painting the hopscotch lines and basketball hoops at Westmore Elementary where Aidan and Kalli attend school. He only has the paperwork left to complete and he will have his Eagle soon! He enjoys playing his trombone in band and is in the Wind Symphony this year. Kael is a great big brother and does a lot of babysitting for his mom. He also has done a great job being Den Chief for the Wolf Den. The boys have really enjoyed getting to know him.
Kari has had a busy year, also. Besides keeping busy with the kids at home, the kids in Primary have kept her busy too. She has enjoyed her calling as Primary President the last year. She is also on the Community Council at Mountain View High and the President of the Community Council at Westmore. That has been a great experience! Her favorite thing that she did this year was by far going to Disneyland to August. She had so much fun there with the family, she hopes to go back soon!
Scott started Provo College at the end of November and has been working hard to get updated in his computer certifications. He was laid off from his job at Open Solutions a week before our Disneyland trip. We are grateful we got to go to Disneyland still! He is a great dad and spends lots of time helping kids with homework, playing football or chess with his boys, and doing projects for Kari! The little boys have missed him at bedtime three nights a week when he goes to school and have had to adjust to Mom putting them to bed.
So, there is a little of what we have done this year. It has been a good year and we are so very grateful for the gospel in our lives and our great friends and family that we have. The Christmas season has filled us with joy with the evidence of so many caring people who want to make sure we have a good Christmas. We are so grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us and grateful that we can celebrate his birth! We hope that everyone has a happy holiday, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011!!!

Love from THE WENDTS

O christmas tree....

We finally got our Christmas tree up on Friday night! I have been begging Scott since the beginning of November to switch our Entertainment center and piano but it was such an overwhelming job, I don't blame Scott for putting it off so long! Scott and Kael moved them both with a lot of hard work and now it feels very cozy. It was a job though because we had to hook up all the surround sound and cables again after it was moved. Anyway, we got our tree up and the kids enjoyed it. It is a fun tradition to put the Christmas tree up. We usually do it the day after Thanksgiving but we have been so busy, it has been hard to find a night when we are all together! I also want to say that I have been so touched by the many gifts that people have left on our doorstep for us so we can have a Happy Holiday! I love it! It makes me encouraged to go out and do what I can for other people (which isn't much right now but, hey I'm trying!) Merry Christmas everyone!

Kalli's new haircut

So in the second picture down, you can't tell very well but Kalli's hair was really long in the back. I wanted to give her a haircut but I've never cut girl's hair before, I've just buzzed my boys which isn't very hard. I went online and learned how to cut hair and then I tried it. I was very surprised that it turned out so well. Just goes to show that you shouldn't be afraid to try new things!

Kalli's new outfit

My sweet Kalli had such a fun time with her auntie Kimberlee last month. Kimberlee took her shopping and bought her a new outfit and they had some girl time at the mall. Kalli had such a good time and I was so appreciative that Kimberlee would take time for her niece. She is one awesome gal!

Talk in Sacrament meeting

So I don't know if a lot of people do this, I'm weird I know, but I thought I would post my talk I gave a couple of Sundays ago in church. The Primary presidency spoke and I thought my counselors did an amazing job. I read my talk word for word because I was just too nervous to do it any other way. I had a wonderful experience writing it....I had been mulling around in my head for weeks the topic and thinking about it but by Saturday night, I still had nothing written down. After I got the boys to bed, I sat down at the laptop and prayed, "I need help!!!!" It was amazing how the words just flowed and I was given what to say. So anyway, here it is:

November 28, 2010 Sacrament meeting talk on “Our Path of Duty” by Bishop Keith B. McMullin

Lately I have been struck by how many people I know and love are experiencing difficulties and challenges right now. It has made me reflect on my own trials and how this is a time for faith not fear. I remember a little over 10 years ago, my husband got laid off from his job. This was the first experience that I had ever had with him being unemployed. My first reaction was panic. How would we live? How would we pay the rent on the two-bedroom apartment we were in at the time? How would we support our two children? I just couldn’t see how it would be possible. I decided that I needed to turn to the Lord and have faith that He would take care of us. It was very difficult at first. I just couldn’t see a way that things would turn out okay. But as I trusted in Him and had faith that things would work out, I felt peace. I experienced what Moroni explained in Ether 12:6: “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” We were taken care of by the Lord through loving people in our family and our ward and my husband was employed within a month after he lost his job.

Sometimes hard times can awaken us to our duty. I take most of my talk from a talk given by Bishop Keith B. McMullin in the April 2010 conference entitled, “Our Path of Duty”. What is duty? Duty is what we are expected to do and to be. It does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. For members of the Church, our path of duty is keeping our covenants in daily life. When things are going really well for me, sometimes I can get complacent and forget what really matters. I get caught up in life and slack off in my scripture reading and prayer. I’m not proud of this; it is something that I am working on-to be as close to the Savior during good times as in bad. When things are not going so well, I tend to pray more fervently and study my scriptures more. President Eyring said in a conference talk in 2001: “Dependence on God can fade quickly when prayers are answered. And when the trouble lessens, so do the prayers. The Book of Mormon repeats that sad story over and over again.”

I like what President Hinckley said about prayer: “The trouble with most of our prayers is that we give them as if we were picking up the telephone and ordering groceries-we place our order and hang up. We need to meditate, contemplate, think of what we are praying about and for and then speak to the Lord as one man speaketh to another.” I know that prayer becomes more meaningful to me when I take time to listen. I love the scripture in Alma 37:37 which says, “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.” One of my favorite primary songs is “Love is Spoken Here” and I love the beginning of the second verse that says, “Pray, He is there. Speak, he is listening. You are His child; his love now surrounds you. He hears your prayer, he loves the children. Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven” I can feel His love when I pray and I know He is there.

In 3 Nephi 18:18-20 we learn what Jesus taught about prayer:

“Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.”’

“Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name;”

“And whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.”

Bishop McMullin says in his talk that it is as important to be guided by the Holy Spirit while praying as it is to be enlightened by that same Spirit while receiving an answer to prayer. Such prayer brings forth the blessings of heaven because our Father “knoweth what things [we] have need of, before [we] ask him.” In Matthew 7:7 it says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock and shall be open unto you.” I have a testimony of the power of prayer. I have had fervent prayers that have been answered not yet…wait…when I have so badly wanted the answer to be “yes” and “right now”! Looking back, I am so glad that Heavenly Father knows me so well and answered my prayers the way he did and not the way I wanted them answered at the time. When we pray, we must pray for “thy will be done, not mine.” The Savior was the ultimate example in Gethsemane. He bids us to “Come Follow Me.”

President Monson has counseled: “If we are to walk with head held high, we must make our contribution to life. If we are to fulfill our destiny and return to live with our Father in Heaven, we must keep His commandments and pattern our lives after the Savior. By so doing, we will not only achieve our goal of eternal life, but we will also leave the world richer and better than it would have been had we not lived and performed our duties.”

In Primary this month, our theme has been, “When we serve others, we serve God”. The kids learned the scripture Mosiah 2:17 which says, And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” We talked about the story of the Good Samaritan. We learned the answer to the question asked of Jesus, “Who is our neighbor?” In this parable, a man was robbed and injured. A Priest and Levite passed by him and did not help him but the Samaritan, who traditionally was thought to be the man’s enemy, took him to an inn and took care of him. We learned from this that we should love and serve everyone. Service to others has the added benefit of taking our minds off our own troubles and worries.

President Joseph F. Smith said, “All that we have comes from [God]…In and of ourselves we are but a lifeless lump of clay. Life, intelligence, wisdom, judgment, power to reason, all are the gifts of God to the children of men. He gives us our physical strength as well as our mental powers…We should honor God with our intelligence, with our strength, with our understanding, with our wisdom, and with all the power that we possess. We should seek to do good in the world. This is our duty.”

From the words of President Monson in his talk that Sis. Hatch and Sister McKimmey so wonderfully presented to us today that bears repeating, “Let us never despair, for the work in which we are engaged is the work of the Lord. It has been said, “The Lord shapes the back to bear the burden placed upon it.” The strength which we earnestly seek in order to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world can be ours when, with fortitude and resolute courage, we stand and declare with Joshua, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

I have a testimony of God’s love for us and I know that with faith and prayer we can accomplish anything. I know that God hears and answers our prayers. I am grateful for the gospel in my life and the joy that it brings to me. I am so grateful for my calling and the opportunity to serve and be with your incredible children. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Wendt update

It is turning out to be such a busy week! But I would much rather be busy than bored and trying to find something to do. Yesterday, I went to Kalli's YW in Excellence program which was awesome. Kalli talked about a project she is working on. I am teaching her how to make rice bags and bean bags. We like to warm them up in the microwave and they keep us nice and toasty. I have found a lot of material in my house that I can use and it has been fun to teach Kalli how to sew. I think sewing and cooking really are a lost art. I need to teach Kalli how to make homemade bread next. How many 12-year-old girls do you know that can make homemade bread by themselves? Well, I'm sure Kalli would love to be one of them. I was reading that Elder Christopherson from the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles learned how to make bread when he was 13 years old when his mom had cancer and couldn't do a lot of the things that she had previously done. He made bread regularly from when he was 13 till he went away to college. I was so impressed when I read that. So, anyway, I think that would be a worthwhile project. I will keep you posted how that goes.
Well, on the job front, Scott had an interview last week with BYU and they said they would get back to him this week. So, someone called today and naturally it is the day that Scott was at Provo College all day and all night so I called them back and told them Scott would call them tomorrow. So I am dying of suspense. They either are not offering him a job, are offering a job, or maybe asking him in for a second interview. I have no idea what. Today Scott took three tests to see if he could test out of three of his classes. I know he studied so hard yesterday and this morning. I fasted for him today because I wanted him so badly to do well. He was trying to review material that he hasn't been familiar with since he saw it 10 years ago. So we will see how that goes. I went to our Christmas Relief Society meeting tonight and it was really great. It was so nice to visit with the ladies and we made these awesome advent calendars. I really am enjoying this Christmas season. I really am feeling less pressure this year than any other years because I am not running around shopping all the time and stockpiling gifts in my closet. I am feeling the joy of the season more this year and being more creative in my gift giving. It is wonderful to be able to concentrate on the real reason for the season and that is to celebrate the Savior's birth. Well, here's hoping for Scott, but whatever happens, I know that things will work out and the Lord is taking care of us. I so love all the people that are so kind and help us so much. It is the little things that matter the most and we have had so many people serve us and help us especially the last few months and I so appreciate it!