Adult Christmas Party

I really love what my family does for the adult Christmas party. It's called a candlelight dinner and each year it's a little different because we switch who is in charge of it. This year it was sister Kari. She chose to do chinese food this year. So we all pulled out recipes for chinese and had fun making them. The food was very tasty and the dessert was really simple. It was just shaved ice with fruit, nuts and sweet and condensed milk on top. It sounded a little weird but it was very yummy. We also played some fun games which we found in our fortune cookies. My two favorites were the paper bag game and the pig war. The paper bag game consists of two people each with a big paper bag and they have to try and pick it up with their mouth while balancing on one foot. It was fun to watch and then you just cut the bag down until one of the people can't do it anymore. Almost everyone had to at least try it. My biggest problem was that the leg I was using kept getting in the way. This was fun to watch as my family members would tip over or fall flat on their face. It was hilarious. The pig war originated between me and my sister Pam. When the movie Babe came out, the fast food places has little pigs that they put in the kids meal. And my mom was able to purchase a lot of pigs from people giving those little stuffed animal pigs to DI. So at times when things were boring around the house Pam and I would pull all the pigs out and start throwing them at each other. It finally turned into a game where you had to aim for the person but also get rid of all your pigs faster than your opponent. And whoever had the least pigs won. It is quite fun if you don't mind being hit in the face with a pig. 

I just thought of one more game I had to mention because it was also one that was just made up. This one is a race to see who can do it the fastest. And just what were we doing? Placing shapes through their proper hole while blind folded. The toy that you use is one that most kids have. I don't know if it has a name. But I hope that you understand which toy I'm referring to. We got some fierce competition going on with that one. 

Anyway, the candlelight dinner was a success and everyone had a great time. It's funny how sometimes the simplest games are the most fun. 

Children Christmas Party

My mom likes to give a party for all the grandkids but she doesn't like to do just superficial things so this year she decided to do 3 short plays about the Nephites and the pioneers. So each child had a role to play in one of the plays and some of them had lines to memorize. Then there were hymns sung in between and a narrator who could help explain things and keep things moving along. We even invited great grandparents and grandparents to come to see it. It turned out pretty well considering there are about 22 children there participating and they are all between the ages of 14 years and a few months old. So you can imagine there was a little bit of mayhem but that was mostly the younger ones. During the performance most of the children knew that they we doing something that required reverence. I was really proud of Gwen. She was really quiet during the whole thing. We just let her wander around. She liked to be in the middle of the performing children and sometimes she would wander in front of the camera. For one of the songs my nieces Hannah and Charlie were singing a duet and Gwen grabbed a hymn book opened it and stood right next to them and leaned in toward them. It was the cutest thing I ever saw. She also danced during most of the songs and toward the end she was sharing her popcorn with anyone she could find. I admit I paid more attention to Gwen than anything else but she was being so cute. 

I feel like it's been a week since I've written. I was having internet problem a couple of times and things have been happening like the party for the kids. Lately I've been playing a game on my DS. It is a Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney game. I've been really enjoying it. I get to go search for clues and talk to people plus then I get to defend my client in court. I get to cross examine the witnesses and such. It's quite fun. I have a harder time in court though because I have a harder time finding contradictions in what people say if it's not too obvious. But I still like it. Well gotta go. I can't keep typing forever. Gwen is tearing apart her room right now and burying me in a pile of clothes.

Night-time ramblings

I really should be in bed right now but my mind is going a mile a minute and I want to keep talking to my husband. He really needs the sleep so I thought I would get rid of my random thoughts onto to here instead. So if I jump around that is the reason. At least I won't have to worry about keeping anyone up.

First off I wanted to relate a story about my daughter. The other day we were all planning on going somewhere and Gwen gets really excited and has to bring everyone their shoes to hurry things along. She was bringing me mine when I was heading into the other room for a minute. So she brings them to Abe instead. He was trying to finish up the level on the game his was playing while Gwen tries to shove them onto his feet. He then tells her to bring them to mommy and then returns to the game. A few minutes later I return and try to find my shoes. They have disappeared. We look around but seriously it was like a black hole had swallowed them up. Where had Gwen put them? I finally grab some other shoes and we go. I wasn't too worried because I was sure they would turn up eventually. A couple days pass and there is still no sign of them. But today while I was looking for a Gwen's sippy cup full of grape juice that she had stashed somewhere I found them.  They were behind our TV. The funny thing is that place is her personal hiding spot and the first place I should have looked. I didn't think they would fit behind there. But there they were and as I pull them out underneath I see two of her missing binkies. I really should get her off those things. She loses them all the time. The good news was some missing items were found the bad news was I still couldn't find her sippy cup.  I could just picture it dripping grape juice slowly onto my carpet and staining it forever. But this story has a happy ending because Abe found the cup in her box of diapers (which happens to be another favorite hiding place for her). 

Well I hope that story made since because it is getting late and I don't proof read. That was quite a mouthful or a typeful well whatever. I think I finally purged my need to talk so I am now going to go to bed. Goodnight world.

Here today gone tomorrow

Wow, I can't believe I'm hear again writing another post. I either must be really bored or I'm excited about having a blog. I think it's the latter. It's fun having a blog that I can write about stuff on. It's like talking to people but I don't have to worry about whether or not what I say is important or whether the people are listening to me. I can just pretend that everyone wants to hear what I have to say. Today I made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and Gwen got to help. She sits on the counter and I fill the cup up with ingredients and she pours it into the bowl. Sometimes she misses and spills a little, but mostly she does a really good job. I also let her crack the eggs which could be really dangerous but she taps it just hard enough even though it is one of the ends. So I sometimes get a little egg shell in the dough. And for a change today I let Gwen help me put the cookies onto the cookie sheet. She took her job seriously and scooped out dough and plopped it onto the grill that I happen to leave on the stove. So I wipe that off and pull the cookie sheet closer. Then she scoops some more dough onto it. The problem was that her cookies ended up in the same spot and the consisted of miniscule balls (which happen to be the only thing she could flick off the spoon) but we had fun. 

Gwen found her stocking today. Abe and I went shopping and had bought some salt and pepper grinders. Abe thought they would be good stocking stuffers so he put them in the stockings. And just so Gwen wouldn't feel left out he put a few diapers in hers. She didn't mind. She still doesn't know what stockings are for. 

Yesterday I read my sister's book out loud to Abe. It was really good. Yes it does make you cry a little but it's a good cry and by the end of the book you feel the Christmas spirit. So I'm going to make a plug for it. It's called Santa's Secret by Christy Hardman and Phil Porter. You can find it at Deseret Books. This also would make a good Christmas gift for anyone. Merry Christmas everyone.

Gwen has been starting to want to be an adult just like mommy and daddy.  First she wanted her own plate and fork. But that is not adult enough for her. She wants mommy's food and mommy's fork and mommy's shoes.  I guess everything I own is really Gwen's.  I just didn't know it. 

Oh and by the way for those who don't know me and for those that do, here is my family.  Gwen is on the left of me and Abe is on the right.

Gwen likes to pick out her own clothes sometimes.  Here we have two examples. Some of her outfits are way cute and others just don't quite work. But she's still cute anyway.

New Beginnings

Dear Readers (if any)

I have been encouraged to create a blog for myself so I can release the creative spirit of my crazed genius.  So here I am typing away with Gwen on my lap while we watch the Muppet Show. I may not type on my blog very often because whenever I'm depressed I have a hard time being positive and since it is my belief that nobody wants to read pessimistic drivel.  So I probably won't write during those times. But I will try and write at least something every week. Since I now have dispensed with the introduction I can now move on to other things.  For example things Gwen has been up to lately.  Every time we go outside at night she gets really excited because of all the Christmas lights.  She has been really cute lately but we have been naughty as parents and kept her up late for the last two nights running. The first night was because we went to the temple and the second night because we went out to dinner and shopping in Orem.  But she has handled it well.  

This year for Christmas we get to go to Cedar City.  It will be different but I am excited about it. Yesterday I decorated for Christmas and Gwen tried to help put the ornaments on the tree but couldn't quite figure it out.  And since then she has been playing with a nativity set and feeding them chocolate.