Counting Down

(One of my latest paintings.)


The countdown to Christmas is officially going and quite honestly nearing the end. I can't believe how quickly December is rolling by. So far we have managed to slow down and take it easy. I am not taking any painting classes this month. This is a rarity for me but I wanted to simplify this month and that was an easy way to free up a night once a week. We have enjoyed our ward christmas party, a fun white elephant party with the Van Orden's,our long-time friends from the Virginia days. The kids have loved the snow which has recently fallen and covered the ugly winter world with a fresh blanket of beautiful whiteness. They have built forts and snow castles with the sand toys. The boys spent an afternoon sledding with their Dad. They were on the sled hill with the teenage snowboarders and learned a new favorite word....sick. I am so glad that has been added to their evergrowing vocabulary. Everything is just so sick now it is driving me nuts! I just have to pretend it doesn't bother me and this smashingly dashing word will slip from their minds as quickly as it was introduced. There is much to look forward to as well in the next few weeks before the New Year is upon us. Byrons family will be here for a week, yes all of them! It is a good thing we all get along. Our kids are exstatic and are using their Christmas Countdown chain to keep track of the days until the Pollan's come. We are down to 8 days today. We cannot wait for them to get here and start checking off the very long list of things the kids want to do with them. None of which includes curling up next to the fire with a good book. I can't figure that one out. I hope this season leaves you all time to ponder Christ's life and the true message of Christmas.

Tyler and Carter on their first ski trip of the Season!! They are turning into real ski bums. Byron says Tyler goes so fast he can hardly keep up with him. When the boys geared up and got their things collected Ali started crying because we told her she would not be going skiing. I made a deal with her that when the boys go skiing the girls will go swimming. She loves that as swimming really is her favorite thing to do. I am constantly reminded that the boys go skiing and the girls go swimming. I am just glad I dont have to drag her up and down the ski hill.

Classic Tyler wipe-out! Aparently he "got air" He really impressed his Dad and Carter.

These are the two cutest kids on the ski hill. Love these boys!!

Ali getting her first haircut. I know it's scary that she is two and a half and has never had a haircut but really...she hasn't had that much hair. I gave her her first haircut and you can't even tell, which I think means it turned out pretty good. Of course it was a straight line across the back, how could that go to poorly?

I have posted a few photos of my newest decorating feats. I have been hating our little powder room and went to Lowe's thinking I would tear out the cabinets and redo everything. Thanks to my friend Heidi Peterson's advice I just resurfaced the vanity and painted. Now I don't hate the counters anymore and I got rid of the gold trimmed fixtures in there so it looks smashing! I really like how the bathroom turned out. I actually liked the colors so much I used them in my dining room the next day. I had to of course go back to Lowes and buy more paint. I finally (three years later) got rid of the flowery painting that went up and over the columns and finished the columns to look like antiqued wood. The dining room went so well I decided I would paint the study the next day. I used the same color scheme, went back to Lowes again for more paint and love how the study turned out as well. I didn't post it though. Next on the list is the master bed/bathroom. I am taking a break though, I got sick of it after three days straight.

For primary this week we had a shepherd come and visit the kids. We have a time machine so we get visitors from all sorts of places. The shepherd just happened to be one of the shepherds who visited baby Jesus when he was born. It was such a delight to listen to him speak of his experiences on that day. He told us all about shepherds back then and how they were looking and praying for a Savior. He told the kids how they were happy and loved music. How they slept out in the dirt watching after their sheep. It was very interesting hear a "first hand" testimony of the birth of Christ.
After he left I talked to the kids about the candy cane and all the symbolism it holds. Why it is such an integral part of Christmas. It came to me while I was talking that there must have been a reason why the shepherd was the first to be called to witness the birth of Jesus. Christ would later in life identify himself as the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd of all mankind. It is no wonder the shepherds came first to the call of Their Shepherd.
Then I got to thinking about why the Wise Men were called to witness the birth of Jesus. We know the Wise Men were Kings and Jesus would be The King of all. It seems the testimony of Christ's birth came from the least and poorest of society and the highest and richest of society. I find it fascinating, the more you think about the birth of Christ, the more you realize how perfect it was. I am sure nothing I have recently discovered or rediscovered is a huge revelation to anyone, but it has been a wonderful experience to be in charge of primary sharing time this month as I have really needed to focus on the true meaning of Christmas so I can share it with the 70 kids we teach at church. I really hope everyone can manage a night or two of pondering the Christmas story. Try to discover something new in it this year.