simplifying christmas

Asher dressed as a shepherd last year at my parents house.

I really want to keep Christmas simple this year. It is so easy to get caught up in all the materialism, and with 5 (!) kids now to buy for on a limited budget, we decided to set clear parameters to keep things under control. I saw an idea on Design Mom to give just three gifts and decided to add one more. So here is our version...

1. Something to wear (one new outfit each)

2. Something to read (either one book or one set of books each, not sure yet)

3. Something to play with (one toy, probably something fairly substantial that they really want)

4. Something to create with (art supplies, which may end up being several small items)

What I like about this idea is that it not only keeps me disciplined in my buying, but it helps the kids prioritize. Plus, it keeps less junk out of our house! I'm really excited not to get bogged down with silly little presents that they don't end up even playing with much. My hope is that they will really appreciate what they do get, and we can all remember what Christmas is actually about--Christ.

How are you keeping your kids focused on the real meaning of Christmas this year?

Also... we are going out of town for Christmas. Should we get a tree? If we had a fake one I'd put it up but getting a live tree seems like a lot of work when we won't be here Christmas day. Thoughts?

5 months!

My blond, blue-eyed girl is 5 months old! Her extreme cuteness makes my insides all squishy.

visiting the fire station

Yesterday our church playgroup took a trip to our local fire station.  The fire fighters were so nice and showed us all around. We saw where they sleep and eat and then the best part--the trucks! We also got to see inside an ambulance. 

Asher is obsessed with cars and trucks (which he unfortunately says with an "F" instead of a "T") so I thought he was going to be so excited. Instead he hardly showed any emotion the entire time. I think  he really did have fun though because he's been talking about ever since.

It wasn't until we got home that I realized his cloth diaper had come undone under his too small overalls. Hence, the funny bump under his pants in the pics.

until i think of something interesting to say...

I've been lacking the motivation to blog lately. Haven't even been taking many photos. So until I get my act back together here are few pics from a couple weeks ago I never posted. The late afternoon light was pretty that day.

bow

I was able to get a clippy bow to stay in Miriam's hair wisps for the first time today. 

It will be so fun once she really has hair!

mormon stories

I woke up Saturday feeling sick and spent the morning puking. Not fun. I was able to sleep A LOT that day which helped in my quick recovery. Being in bed all weekend also meant that I had the time to listen to some podcasts from MormonStories.org. Mormon Stories is is an Internet blog and podcast created in 2005 by John Dehlin that seeks to interview interesting people about Mormon-related current events, issues, media  and culture. I had heard about Mormon Stories a couple years ago, but at the time Dehlin was no longer conducting interviews and I believe had even removed the podcasts he had done in the past.

Well I've recently been reading the works of Carol Lynn Pearson (more on her in another post) and Heather told me that Dehlin had interviewed Pearson for Mormon Stories. What a fantastic interview! I loved all 5 (!) hours of it. I've also listened to several other of his interviews and am currently making my way through the series on Women in the Church. Great, great stuff. I am learning so much and have a lot to chew on.

I definitely plan on sharing more of my feelings here about what I'm learning and thinking about lately, but in the meantime, I wanted to tell you about MormonStories.org. I think it is a fantastic resource for exploring many issues dealing with Mormonism. You should definitely check it out!

autumn's green tomatoes

After the freeze... maybe we'll get a few more ripe ones yet?

See a couple more photos here.

my little animals

I photographed my little puppy and bear on Friday while the weather was good. 

Unfortunately, Saturday it was cold and rainy during trick or treating and since both kids have colds, we didn't take them out in it.
Maybe next year!

this makes me happy

I linked to this on facebook today and have watched it at least 7 times. Asher made me replay it like three times in a row. If you can get through it without getting chills and/or teary-eyed, then you have no heart. And definitely watch the whole thing, the best part is towards the end. I loves me some good harmony--especially with a message like this. I'm so glad we are all different. The world would be a mighty boring place if we weren't.

well, here it is

If there's one thing Utah is exceptionally good at, it's having 70+ degree weather one week and snow the next. Keeps us on our toes. 

Behold what we woke up to today: