Traditions / 2009 Christmas Eve and Morning

When our children were much younger we started a tradition of a candle light dinner on Christmas Eve. We always had home made lasagna, sparkling cider, soft music and attempted to have a really reverent atmosphere in the house. We tried to really concentrate on the true meaning of Christmas, Christ's birth. But I always say, we need to be adaptable as situations change. Time passed and we started adding more individuals to our family. One big change was Steve Stockard, who brought his own set of family traditions into ours. Now on Christmas Eve we have a party at their house. Yummy appetizers, pizza, games and of course the traditional Christmas eve jammies. It's always a fun and exciting night! Another change was that we have to share Kevin & Brandi and their children with the Romberg clan on Christmas Eve when they do the Grandma LaRae dinner and gift exchange.

Here with new jammies on we're ready for stories. I think we need to re-establish and incorperate the Nativity story being acted out again, like we did when our children were very small.

The Christmas stockings are always a big deal to me. I love to plan little surprises in them to be opened or dumped out last of all after the presents are all unwrapped. Gene thinks I'm silly but he humors me, we now fill 20 Christmas Stockings. They are all home made. The original six, still in the bunch. He always grumps at me because they don't have names on them, it's just something I never did. I know which one belongs to each individual family member. Now that we have so many I lable them each year, this time it was with blue painters tape.

Another tradition we have since Jess entered our family, is that she and Julie help me with this last minute job, on Christmas Eve. This year I was a little worried about having to do it all by my self since Julie and Dustin moved and she wouldn't be here and because I didn't think Greg and Jess were coming. I love this tradition that Jess and I have established together. She's a sweetheart and adds so much to our family.

Another tradition that has taken on a life of it's own, is Christmas morning breakfast. When Gene was growing up their family's tradition was to walk into the living room, past the Christmas tree and Santa's treasures and go into the kitchen for a hot breakfast. The Haws family went straight to the gifts and had a free for all, then whoever wanted to, got the rare treat of cold cereal. When our children were small we always had the mostly forbidden sugary coated cold cereal on the table for breakfast, too.

Somehow the new tradition of a great big breakfast on Christmas morning got started. I think Steve had a little to do with that one too.

After their own presents at home the kids all gather here around 9 a.m. for breakfast. Grandpa and Grandma Wilson join us too and even Uncle John joined us this year.

So now it's Bacon, Sausage, Scrambled Eggs with Pepper Jack Cheese, Sausage gravy and Biscuts and Orange Juice or Milk. Talk about a high calorie meal. I try to stay busy in the kitchen and not even make a plate. There's usually no leftovers, especially of the biscuts and gravy.

Then it's on to the gifts. It's a beautiful morning and we're never done before 11:30 or 12. It's a special time to all be together.

My Help in the Kitchen

Gene and I don't eat at home all that much anymore, especially when it's just the two of us. Greg is on a gluten free diet right now which is helping him feel a lot better, but it takes some planning. Sweet Jessica, planning ahead is being very helpful with planning and making a lot of our meals, during their stay. Greg is quite helpful too but is a wuss about chopping onions. After offering to help and being asked to chop up the onion, he asked, "Hey, how do you keep from crying when you chop up onions?" Jokingly I answered, "wear some goggles!" We just happen to have a whole basket full swimming goggles in the kitchen. So he tried it out, and said it worked a lot better than he thought it would. It was pretty funny.

Here they are preparing Kung Pow Chicken

Jess has a food blog too, if you want to see some of her go to recipes go here

All I Want for Christmas!!!

For the last several weeks, ever since I posted about the new accommodations a our house, Gene has been telling me not to put pressure on Greg and Jessica to come here for Christmas. I've always known that someday they would decide to stay in Provo for Christmas, and I wouldn't blame them. When they married in 2001 we had an open house here for them just before Christmas, and they spent their first Christmas together with us. Each year since then they have faithfully travelled down here to be with us and get warm for a while. But this year they had finally decided to stay in Utah.
I was really trying to be brave and not sad, saying that I really understood that they wanted to be at home and start their own traditions. Inside I was sad though. Every time, "I'll be home for Christmas, you can count on me," came on the radio I'd get teary, missing them so much. Like I said though I was trying to be brave. We bought gift certificates and got them to them so they could buy whatever they wanted as gifts from us, and hoped they'd have a great time in Utah.
Yesterday, Friday, Brandi and her kids were going to meet Gene, Julie and I at our Del Taco for lunch. As we were waiting outside for Brandi to get there Gene managed to maneuver me into a position were I couldn't see the parking lot. While we were just standing there chatting, I heard a familiar voice and little voices chiming in. It was Greg and Jess with their little ones. Boy, did they all fool me, what a surprise!
I just started to cry and hug and kiss them. This is truly all I ever really want for Christmas, all of my kids with their families together with us . . . it's the best season ever!!

Our Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree is pretty much the same every year; but I really love it! It is a collection of ornaments that go all the way back to our first year. Of course we have gotten rid of some here and there and it's only the ones that have special meaning that make the cut and get to hang around forever.

Our tree is one of family love and traditions. When our children were young, every now and then we'd add decorations that were made at cub scouts, or by their primary teachers, containing photographs. These were the beginning of the tradition that we are now really enjoying. As we added grand children we started putting little frames with their pictures in them on the tree as ornaments.
I've gone back and added more of my children as they were growing up too.
I love it, it brings so much more to the tree to me.

I know it's not trendy and it's always pretty much the same every year but I love it!

It only takes me about 4 hours to put all of the decorations on in just the right places. That after setting it up and making sure the lights are all working. Gene pretty much takes care of that part for me.

And yes it is an artificial tree. We have gone that route for many years. I was always so worried about the real tree catching on fire, it was hard to enjoy it. I think I got that worry/fear from my mom, but seeing them go up in flames when lighted on fire after Christmas is over every year, made my fear into a paranoia. Then about 25 years ago, I was visiting teaching a sister the day after Thanksgiving and her tree was up. Now when we were growing up we always had to wait until at least Dec. 15th to get our Christmas tree and the same with the Wilson family. The thought of having a Christmas tree up as long as I wanted and not the fire worry, sold me!!! Ever since then we have had an artificial tree, I love that too, for so many reasons.

Now on to decorating the rest of the house!

Our Julie

and Dustin too of course are having a baby!!! That is such fantastic news, we've waited along time for this happy day.

They had their big ultra-sound and met the whole family to share the news;
It's a BOY!!!

Two of my beautiful girls, Julie and Ema, our oldest grand daughter, 13 (my beehive!)

It was a fun night. Now we only have to wait until the end of April
to met the little guy!

New Word SMIZE

"SMIZE" Smile With Your Eyes

Tyra Banks is my new afternoon friend if I have put off treadmilling that long, or if I just have some down time and need some noise. Today she shared some of her new words and I love this one . . . SMIZE. So if you hear someone say SMIZE instead of or in place of "say Cheese" you'll know what they mean.

November is my Gratitude Month

As I have previously stated this blog is the closest thing I have to a journal, thus I get kind of reflective and sometimes give just TMI, too much information. That being said, I decided to share some of my gratitude that I reflected on during the month of November, my month to remember my blessings and count them just a little more than I usually do.

Earily in the month of November I got a message on Facebook, from a friend that I grew up with. The message was a challenge that I chose to accept. It really made me stop and think about the things that I am most thankful for.

This was the challenge . . . "Let's see how many people can do this. Every day this month until Thanksgiving think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it the harder it gets! Now if you think you can do it then re post this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge.

#1. Today I am thankful for . . . . a worthy Priesthood holder as my lifelong friend and sweetheart. We've been together longer than we were apart.

#2. Today, I am thankful as always for my beautiful children and the people they have grown into. They were my pride and joy when they were little and continue to be so now.

#3. Today I'm thankful for our kids that joined our family by marriage. They are all wonderful and bring unique and crazy qualities to our family. They all fill a special spot.

#4. Today I am thankful to be a grandma. I love each and every one of my 10 plus 1 on the way, grand babies. They are a true joy and i believe that my love for them is a reflection of the love I feel for their parents, my children multiplied many times.

#5. Today I am thinking about, thankful for and feeling very grateful for the blessing of my wonderful parents. When I was sent to them I hit the lottery. I have been given so much by them I can't even begin to enumerate.

#6. I am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The gospel of Jesus Christ gives meaning and fullness to my life; it defines me, it is who I am and His teachings are what I need to reflect in my daily actions and relationships. I'm afraid I fall short way too often.

#7. Somehow I was so busy yesterday that I didn't get on the computer at all, imagine that! But if I had been on the computer i would have shared my gratitude thought of the day, and I did think about it all day. (#7) I am thankful for the family I married in to. I know it was an answer to sincere prayers and I have never regretted.

#8. Today, I am grateful my chosen career, of wife, mother and home maker. I have found so much joy and fulfillment in my life. I've never regret ed my choice and I'm thankful for my husband supporting that choice. I am truly a blessed woman.

#9. I am grateful for having fantastic health. I've had crazy health issues, heart surgery & RH- blood issues during childbearing years, but I am amazingly very healthy and strong. I know that is a true blessing and am very thankful for it.

#10. Today I am thankful for a living prophet on the earth today, who is God's mouthpiece to His children. I know that if I follow his council, I won't go astray. This gives me so much peace in a troubled world.

#11. I am so thankful that my husband, Gene has a great job that he loves, most of the time. He is willing to work so hard, and give us our SWEET life!

#12. How could I have neglected to state my thankfulness for my 2 brothers and 4 sisters along with their spouses? I don't get to associated with them very often because of distance but they bless my life everyday by their terrific examples. I need to be more like them all.

#13. This is the first one that I've needed to think about. I am thankful for righteous young men willing to be full time missionaries for the Lord. My nephew Will Mitchell has '"Returned with Honor" from his mission today, welcome home Elder Mitchell. I sure love you! You'll never regret the time you gave to the Lord!

#14. Today I am thankful for living in Southern California. It's colder today and it makes me realize how much I love living in a mild climate, I'm such a wussie, when it gets below 60 degrees, I start to look for my jacket and whine about being cold. I am thankful for where I live and that most of my kids live close to me, along with all my Wilson family!

#15. Today I am thankful that I get work with the youth, specifically the young women, but the boys too, through Gene, at church. It is so fun to meet with them in their meetings and try to help them understand the gospel and gain their own testimonies. I feel so blessed for this opportunity.

#16. This is defiantly getting harder! but as I sit here with my laptop I'm thankful for modern technology. Ema is next to me with one in her lap and Dane is on the desk top computer in the other room. Some times we take it for granted but what a miracle to be able to reconnect, communicate and get information instantly.

#17. I am so thankful that my three daughters and their families live close to me. I get the opportunity to share their lives with them and their darling children and husbands.

#18. I am thankful that I took this challenge to list my blessings. It has helped me stop and really count the ones that are nearest and dearest to me. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, tomorrow, be safe too.

I am really happy that I took this challenge because it forced me to slow down, reflect and then count my blessings. I'm thankful for the month of November that we dedicate to gratitude.

It's Dylan's 4th Birthday

I decided to blog again today because it is Dylan's big day. When I signed on though I saw that Jess had already blogged about our special guy. So, I will just let you go to her blog to check it out. He's a special little boy and I wish he loved closer to us. We miss him being a part of our everyday life, but we love him and are so glad that he's part of our family.

The Painting is DONE!

Gene says that the ceiling looks like a ice skating rink, but I love it. The old popcorn ceiling was so gross and dirty looking. I'm glad we finally decided to have it removed.

Our dining area

The thing that gets the most attention at our house. Yea, life can get back to normal.

New Accommodations at Our House

This post is mostly for Greg and Jessica's benefit, so please bare with me. In the past few years when they came to visit they were given Greg's old bedroom which was very crowded. Since Julie and Dustin have struck out on their own and moved to their own place, and since we had the painters here anyway . . . we made use of them. So from now on when the "Utah Wilson's" come to visit they will have much better arrangements. No longer will our house guest have to stay in the "garage bedroom"! That's now the work out room/play room.

We even have a bed for Adam and Abby when she's here and needs a nap. Brandi's big on naps. Wade was here this morning and we put him in the crib and he really didn't like it, he's not a crib baby at all.

Here's the room that was Dusty's office, now a lonely bedroom again. But it's going to be my sewing room again too. That's the desk waiting to be set up again.

This can be Dylan's room when he's here!

Halloween 2009, Some of my cuties!

Our ward, like many wards has an annual Halloween Party. If my kids weren't close it'd be hard to drag me there. I've never been much of a Halloween fan. All the costume pressure, candy that I'd rather not have in the house, and I hate haunted houses, especially in the church. I just don't think it's very appropriate at all. Anyway, my kids are close and Brandi even let me take the girls to our party while they were at football practice. So we took them and met the Stockards there, that made it fun for me. Gene needed to be there anyway because the young men were helping in the spook ally, in the Jr. Chapel I may add, and he needed to oversee their antics, somewhat. He can be one of the biggest kids around, sometimes.

Here's my pumpkin and Rosetta the fairy.

Our darling cowgirl, and Tinkerbell.

Wade was Charlie Brown, with the delay on my camera, it's hard to catch anything but the back of his head.

Our sweet ladybug and Tinkerbell again.

Need I explain were Wes was? Oh he was there but way to busy for pictures. Busy winning at the cake walk, and squirting the hot nacho cheese into his hand, that kid is one of a kind!

Anyway it's over for another whole year. Will we ever go again? It depends on where my kids are and if they will humor Grandma and go with me!!!

My Friend

My friend in the kitchen, there's not been much cooking going on in there, lately.

They assure me that it's almost done. Then we will only have one last bedroom to do, the first part of November. Oh, did I say, Julie and Dusty are moving too? I know, so sad! Not far either, only Costa Meas. They need this, it will be good and fun for them, and they need to be on their own. Gene and I will have to get re-acquainted,

Here's The Mess

A very find drywall dust is covering everything

We're not doing anything to this wall only the ceiling above, thus we didn't need to unload and move the shelves. Oh man I hate to think of what that would have entailed.

Paint station

Dining room with all the furniture. Now my dilemma, how do I rearrange it all??? When you come to my house you never know what you'll find, I get board easily.

We're Moving Along, but still have a big mess!

I didn't take any pictures of the mess this time, only the part that looks good. I'm very pleased with the way it is coming along. It looks so fresh and clean, and the big mess has been worth it. But I'm affraid I'll be dusting until Christmas time!

All three of the pictures are of the ceiling in the living room. All of our furniture is stacked in the dining room right now. I think the living room is done but the only painter here right now is spanish speaking. He's the only one working here this morning so I'm not sure of the plan.

This is above the fireplace, it looks really different. Gene wants me to tell him to paint this area the tan color that you see to the right, but I don't speak spanish.

Here is Gene, talking on the phone to Greg who requested these pictures. Remember the valance above the windows? We're not putting it back. I love the clean look. It's gonna be a big change, I have de-cluttered, by taking all of the pictures down, of course that was necessary for the painting. It looks good, I knew that I had gone over board with the pictures so I'm not sure how many are going back up, if any.

More to come.

I did it, I spoke Spanish! No he could understand english, he just doesn't talk much!

My 60s House

The Mess at My House

We bought this house in 1986, when our children were still in grade school. It has been a lovely home, and I love the open floor plan, but it is deffinatly a design of the 60s. Concequently it has needed some up-dating to bring it out of that time period. Right now we are scraping the ceilings, something that has needed to be done for a long time. That look is so ugly, I wonder who ever decided it was a good idea. It's hard to believe that this house is that old, but it has been a real job bringing it up to date. Doing it slowly though, it's becoming out dated before its done. The kitchen which we re-did in the 90s is really nice, but it's outdated already.

This is the dining room ceiling, it's between the main living room and the kitchen.

This is our living room, with the fireplace all torn up to fix an uneven part. Something that we hadn't previously noticed before the painter pointed it out. The whole thing is turning into a big ordeal. This corner is going to look really different because previously it was covered with dark paneling.

We had hoped that the rock went all the way up, but didn't really think it did. That would have been a nice surprise to find behind this drywall. The drywall is just going to be repaired and painted.

Looking toward the T.V. We wanted to remove the lowered ceiling too, but that would have been a lot more work, and the main reason we had put off this whole scraping project for so long.

Now She's a Teenager!

When I asked Ema what I could get her for her 13th birthday all she said, laughing, was, "A Snuggie!"

So that's what she got from us, along with a basket for her bike. Ella, her four year old sister, thinks Ema is the best! And she is the Best Big Sister around!

Isn't She Getting so Beautiful?

We are a very happy family, with lots of time together. This is during one of our trips to Disneyland when Greg came to town with Dylan for his first trip to our Happy Place

Everyone loves Ema!

Ema with Dylan

Ema and Abby. She really fights with her curls, I think they are darling, and tell her to embrace them. The cutest and sweetest girls I know have naturally curly hair

Brandi with her Darling Girls

Becoming a Grandma for the Very First Time

Thirteen years ago on October 16, 1996, I became a grandma for the very first time. I knew I'd love any new baby born into our family, but I wasn't prepared for all of the joy this little girl would bring into my life. Our Father in Heaven sometimes answers our prayers in ways we wouldn't have thought we wanted but His blessings are limitless. When I became a grandma at 42 I thought I still wanted one or two more babies in our family, with me being the mommy. I didn't know that those prayers would be answered in the form of grand babies, but what a wonderful blessing they have all become, starting with Ema Jean.

I know I'm biased, but I had never seen a more beautiful baby in my life, she was and has continued to be an angel, and a gift from Heaven!
From the very first time I heard her heart beating at a Doctor's appointment that Brandi let me go with her too, I have loved this little one in a way that is impossible to express. Ema became the whole family's little girl. It was so nice of Brandi to share her with all of us.

She loved and embraced our family too. Here she is welcoming another one of her Heavenly friends, Kylie into our family.

She and Dane, too of course, became my littlest friends as I was blessed with the opportunity to assist with their daily care. We enjoyed many fun time especially our trips to Disneyland. Brandi needed my help but the responsibilities of daily care for these little ones helped me more at a time that I needed to be needed more than anything else.

Daily routines were the best.
At the mall

and at the park.
I love being a grandma, and now have a total of 10 sweet grand children, with one more on the way. I love them all so very much. I knew that I'd love being a grandma, but never dared believe that it could ever come close to the love that I felt for my own children. Now I understand and know that the love for our grandchildren is the love we feel for our own children multiplied at least 100 fold if not more!