This Weekend:

* The "Ladies" spontaneously put together a breakfast on the spot Friday morning; 

 we went to Sill's Cafe. 

(home of the scones as big as your face)

By the time we left there, they were serving lunch to all the tables around us!  :)

* I was planning on going to the temple afterwards - I'd gone to breakfast dressed for it...

But, first I went to a store,

then to get gas,

then to a grocery store,

then to drop off two garbage bags full of stuff at the D.I. from our closet clean-out.

And by that time, the kids who'd gotten home from school were calling me.....

So, I returned home.

* I sent Kyle off on a group date he had planned with his friends.

The went to the Ice Castles up in Midway, UT.

(sidenote: this girl's mom was one of Kyle's preschool teachers!)

* Matt & I had date night at Sizzler.

We were seated in THE SMALLEST booth ever!

There was NOT enough room for me, my coat, AND my purse.

* On Saturday morning, I took Kyle and Katelyn to go audition for 

the Farmington Youth Theatre upcoming production of... 

There was quite a long wait to get in to audition,

and some good silly, young teenager watching in the meantime, too!  ;)

The fact that Kyle is a 16 yr. old MALE auditioning, made him very noticeable to the directors!

Not a bad position to be in at auditions!  :) 

* My official [write-on] calendar was finally delivered,

so I spent the afternoon filling it in with all the things we have going on this month/year.

It felt so good - I've been a bit unsettled without my "brain."

* Matt & I went on a group date of our own - I think you'd call it a quintuple date.

Our friends had reserved a court at the Rec Center and we played wallyball.

We first did girls vs. guys - I was told that it was so the girls

would actually get a chance to touch the ball!  ;)  haha.

After that, we mixed it up - and I quickly learned it was very 

advantageous to be on Matt's team!

We were reaching/lunging/jumping/hustling in ways we

are not accustomed to.....and boy, have we felt it in our bodies ever since!!!

#gettingoldstinks

Two of the couples had to return home to their young babies/toddlers,

but the rest of us went to Dairy Queen for "cool treats" 

and visited for another hour - or two....

* Church-y Church on Sunday.

This year we changed to the 9:00 a.m. time block - my favorite [at this season in my life]!

* We watched our 2015 Year-in-Review 

slideshow that Matt makes for us every year.

Always fun to reminisce!

(BUT do I REALLY look like that lady in some of the photos???)

* Brookelle got on a crazy-hair kick,

and did her own hair first....

...and then she moved on to Kyle!

* We got a surprise visit from Grandma/pa.

* I ended the day by writing my weekly email to our missionary.

Christmas Morning.....Didn't quite Start Out the way it was Supposed to.

In our family, we all line up and enter the Family Room together, at the same time, on Christmas morning (no one is allowed to go in there on their own before the agreed upon time).
First, everyone kind of just looks around, and finds "their" spot where their things have been left, and then they sit down and soak it all in.

 

Then, everyone is free to leisurely go through their stockings and see what is in them - and act ALL excited AND thankful AND jubilant!!!  :)
After that, we start opening presents, in turn, one by one.

So....we all got seated, AND BEFORE WE'D OPENED EVEN ONE PRESENT, all of a sudden, Kyle says, "Look, I cut my hand!" as he holds up his hand in front of Matt's face.

From across the room, in my dazed state (very LATE nights/mornings for the previous few nights), I look over and I can't figure out WHAT he's talking about.  I mean, we've literally ONLY been in the family room a couple of minutes TOPS, so HOW do you cut your hand by just sitting there or pulling things out of your stocking???

Did Santa put something sharp in there?

Since my mind was running so slowly, I was just staring and thinking, but no words actually made it out of my mouth.  (I know - shocker, huh?!?)
Matt, on the other hand, immediately asks, "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" 

Apparently, Kyle had wanted to open up some socks that he got, and he took Matt's Swiss Army knife (without him noticing) to cut those plastic barbs that hold new socks together.

AND he missed or slipped, and got his finger.

Matt informed him (& everyone) that ONLY HE should touch the knife!

So, then Kyle started to bleed pretty good, so Matt told him to get over to the kitchen, so we could get a towel to put pressure on it (and so the blood wouldn't drip on the couch/carpet!)

But, then he started to get freaked out by the blood.
Side note: he has a history of this - NOT doing well at the sight or thought of blood. ;)  In fact, earlier this year, when all the kids had to go in for labs, Kyle about passed out and was given a ice pack and had to lay down.  Katelyn locked herself in the bathroom, crying.  And Brookelle was totally calm and fine and cooperated perfectly and was done in 20 seconds.  Hmmm....what is wrong with this picture?!?  ;)

But, when Kyle got up to move to the kitchen, he started to feel faint, so we had him sit down in a chair.

And then his face got all white.

And he started to sweat.

And breathe irregularly.

And was demanding to know how bad it was bleeding, as he was bouncing his foot up and down and putting his head down on the table and groaning.

Meanwhile, Matt & I are playing nurse/doctor.  I go to get or look for cloths and gauze and Neosporin and antiseptic spray and butterfly band-aids (couldn't find a single one!) and Matt applied pressure and performed all the treatment.  And the girls just continued to look through their Christmas stockings - No, I'm sure they were worried sick about their brother instead!  ;)

It was difficult to ignore the mayhem going on in the kitchen!!

Well, Kyle was feeling sick - that was for sure - he thought he was going to throw up, so I went looking for our bucket.  It wasn't in it's usual spot, and I was told to go look in Katelyn's room since she had felt sick in the middle of the night.  So, I go up to her room, and I found it......WITH vomit in it already!  So, then I go to the bathroom and rinse it out, then run back downstairs with the clean bucket for Kyle.  Luckily, he hadn't needed it yet.

Then Kyle says he can't feel his hand.
Or his arms.
And his head hurts.
His skin looks kind of gray, too.
And then he starts to apologizing for taking his dad's knife!  (His form of "death bed repentance?")

I get him a drink of water and a cold washcloth, his sister comes to his side and rubs his back.
Matt stops the bleeding, and dresses the wound after multiple attempts on the tricky finger bends, but Kyle doesn't even want to lift his head up to look at the damage.

We finally get him back to the couch, and laid him down, put his head on a pillow, feet elevated, and cover him with a blanket.....because NOW he has the chills (and he wants the cut hand to be out of sight!)
His face was still super white (it was funny/not funny)...and his previous enthusiasm for Christmas morning had disappeared!

So, not the way we normally start out Christmas morning.  ;)

So, about an hour later than intended, we resumed our stocking discovery and eventually started opening gifts, too.

And then took a break when a special Skype call came in:

It ended up to be just what the doctor ordered.  Because Kyle was able to perk back up for that! 

Make Sure You Have Plenty of Money, Can Hold in Your Laughter, and Don't Have to "Go"

...And other things I discovered on our "Christmas in NYC" vacation:

1. As I looked around, practically anywhere we went, but especially on the Subway, I was the only blonde.

Ya, I didn't look out of place, now, did I?  ;)

2.  Ice Skating is HARD!!

It kills your feet, calves, and bum.  When we first got on the rink, we were only able to make it HALFWAY around before we had to rest - seriously!  Then we worked up to one whole time around without stopping, then 1 1/2, and then two times around - if we went on the "inside track."  I figured it out; it had literally been 29 years since I had been ice skating!!!

(But, how can you NOT when you're in NYC at Christmas time?!?)

Matt tried a couple laps on his own to see if he could do it better/it was easier without me holding onto his hand........well, he wiped out!  I, on the other hand, never fell once.  I guess he knows now it'll NEVER be a good idea to ditch me!  haha.  ;)

Watching the zambonie is very relaxing, in comparison.  :)

3.  Their definition of money, is not the same as my definition of money.
As we got closer to Central Park, many bike carriages tried to solicit us.  The guy says, "Do you wanna ride?  It's almost FREE!"  Well....on the carriage was a sign advertising it was $3.00/minute.  So, if it takes a couple minutes to load up, and about 30 minutes to ride around the entire park, and another couple minutes to disembark....all of a sudden, "almost FREE" = $100!!
Also, as I was standing in line for the restroom (see #13 below) at Radio City Music Hall (BTW, it was the MEN'S restroom they'd opened up for all us women), I was chatting with the woman behind me in line.  She disclosed that she had paid $420 a ticket to bring her family to the show.  That was the EACH price, not the total price - and she had a family of 4 - she'd spent $1,800 (w/ taxes/fess) to come!!!   She said it was her anniversary, so she told her husband they WERE going to the city!
OK....#1 - the show IS spectacular (see #14 below), but I'm not sure it's worth that much money, and #2 - WHY are you bringing your little children on your anniversary??? 
(We were given our tickets, very generously, by one of Matt's business partners who's from the area.) 

4.  NYC really knows how to decorate it up for Christmas!

5. Thus, expect crowds this time of year! 

6.  ...And Security/Cops

(cops were all over in those yellow, reflective vests - other cops were guarding the street with big, military weapons)

See that cop (in the peaked cap) just right behind Matt?  

Well, 1.4 seconds AFTER I took this picture, he was right on me telling me to step down off that bench I had stood on to take the photo.  ;)    (otherwise I'm too short in those crowds!) 

 So, I guess you could say that I got in trouble with the law in NYC!?

7.  Apparently, I have a boutique in the city! 

8.  It takes 3 hours to get to church 

We looked on lds.org to find the nearest church (in Brooklyn) with the most convenient meeting times (i.e. NOT 9:00a.m.) and went there via bus, subway, and on foot.  When we got there, the gates were all closed up and not a person was in sight.  Matt called the Branch President who was listed on lds.org and found out that it had been their Stake Conference at a different building that day, and it was already over!
Really?!?
This has happened to us on a few separate occasions, when traveling, also.
What are the chances?!?
Well, I'll tell you, because I actually did the Math!  There's only a 3.8% chance that on any random Sunday, it would be Stake Conference.  (It's held twice a year).

So, then we got back on the Subway for 30+ minutes, then walked the rest of the way to this church building in upper Manhattan.

Aaahhh, being there, though, did help settle some of our frustrations from earlier in the day.

9.  Everyone claims they have "The Best Food in the City"

And they might be right!  :)

 {New York style pizza}

 {Mabo Dofu @ a Japanese restaurant}

 {NYC street food carts}

There's TONS of these around on many street corners, and they all serve similar food, yet each one claims there's "is the best."  
They don't want to lose you to one of their competitors, either.

While we were standing by this cart, he was filling another groups' order and it was taking some time, so we started looking at other carts to see if they had a wait.

This guy saw us "shopping around" and he kept trying to keep us there; since he made such a valiant effort, we ended up staying in line for his cart! :)

10.  There is some unique entertainment in the Subway

I texted my fluted-playing friend, who plays for free at church/community functions, that she should try it in NYC with her bag for people to drop money in instead!  

But, I'm not sure how lucrative that'd be; as you can see, he didn't exactly have a "captive audience."

I'd never before witnessed such a thing!  This guy literally pulls a speaker out of his back pack, plugs in his iPod, makes an announcement to our train that no one would get hurt, then the music starts and he proceeds to perform this circus act/break dance routine using all the poles and grab bars on the Subway.  *Notice how everyone is trying to ignore him!*  I just kept squeezing Matt's arm and given him a silent "look" while keeping a straight face.  Then he goes through with his hat out for people to put money into.  At the next stop, he leaves our car, and jumps into the next car....but along the way, gets into an "altercation" with some other young men who are demanding that THAT was their line to work!

11.  I have an instant adoration for missionaries 

And being with them, helped me feel close to my own missionary.

Our SIL's parents are serving a mission in New York, and they have the young missionaries over to dinner every Sunday - and they invited us there, as well.

It was so fun to be among them!

 Our spirits were definitely lifted and you couldn't help but feel GOOD after being in their presence!

12. Rockefeller Center is NOT the only tree in town 

 {Bryant Park}

 {Seaport Village}

see our reflection in the ornament?

 {a Toys-4-Tots tree with presents under it - including real bikes! - 

I've never seen those kind of toys, or that many!}

 {Although, we did go to Rockefeller, too!}

13.  Stay dehydrated, so you never have to go to the bathroom! 

Because there is no such thing as a "public restroom." 

One evening, we stopped at a diner to eat - not because we were starving, but because I HAD to pee, and the restrooms were only for customers!  Then we ordered the smallest thing on the menu that we could find!

Another day, we went into Sax Fifth Avenue to "shop" so that we could use their bathroom.  On my way in search for it, a "perfume lady" caught me to spray me with samples; she was very friendly and then asked for the sale - when I asked her, instead, where the restrooms were, her demeanor immediately changed and she pointed in their direction and "dismissed" me.  ;)

14.  They don't call it the "Radio City Music Hall Christmas SPECTACULAR" for nothing.

There's no better word to describe it: SPECTACULAR! 

Starring the Rockettes!

I was so surprised (because it is a "secular" event), BUT SO GLAD, that they included The Nativity, complete with REAL CAMELS, SHEEP, & a DONKEY on stage, recitation of scripture, and sacred music for the finale of the show.   Matt thought the applause for that number was louder than any other - it was such a SWEET ending that left a wonderful feeling!

15. The TRUE meaning of Christmas can still be found in the middle of NYC's hubbub

 {on taxis}

 {On the Jumbotrons and billboards in Times Square}

THIS is the sight that I acted most like an excited tourist about and snapped pictures galore of!  :)


Now, onto getting Christmas ready at home...... 
(I might be crying a little)  ;)

A Savior is Born

Love is Born 

Hope is Born

Joy is Born

#ASaviorIsBorn

DISCOVER WHY

christmas.mormon.org

Here's another excellent video that can answer the "Why?"

He is my (& yours) Prince of Peace, the Creator (and oh, what a gorgeous world He created for us!), and my Savior.
I have been blessed by the enabling power of His atonement for me; it has given me the strength to do, and bear, and be MORE than I could all on my own.  
I know He lives.  I know He loves me.  With all my heart, I want to be like Him, and I know I can see Him again!

We had the opportunity to visit with our missionary friends who are currently serving in Chinatown (Manhatten, NY), and they gave us one of their pass-along cards (as I'm sure our own missionary son will be sharing this with us in his next letter, as well) with this same great message:

Looks cool, eh? 

Can you read it? ;)

This Weekend

* On Friday, we went to a new place at Station Park, Brixton's (a baked potato restaurant!), for my birthday lunch out with 'The Girls.'
I didn't realize S.P. was such a happening place in the middle of the day - I saw several other people I knew there.
I guess I'll have to 'make an appearance' there more often!  ;)

* The afternoon was spent carting my daughters to and from friends'/parties.

* We went to The Roof with Matt's parents for our "anniversary dinner" on Friday night.

 (they want to take out each of their kids/spouse on an annual basis, so they use their
anniversary date to keep track of who they've taken out and whose turn is next)

* After returning home (and consuming much food & dessert), we thought it prudent to go out in our neighborhood in an attempt to WALK OFF dinner.

* Saturday morning, I did my first (of the required five) turn of being the chaperon/volunteer at the Bye Bye Birdie rehearsal that Katelyn is a part of (and will be performing in November).
Side Note: it was an interesting "study" in human behavior.
Each participant is suppose to sign in with their name and time of arrival prior to each rehearsal.
As background information, there has been a lot of emphasis put on the importance of being at and ON TIME to every rehearsal.  The directors have said that they will be giving out additional parts to those who do well in this area, and taking away from those who do not demonstrate dependability in this area.
One of my jobs is to check in all the kids.  So, when not everyone was there by the starting time, I wondered what those other kids would write down when they finally did arrive....
AND I observed that the majority of the kids (who were anywhere from 1 to 15 minutes late) STILL wrote down the time that the rehearsal started (when they were suppose to be there by) on the sign in sheet.
Hmmmm....See?  Interesting, huh?

* Matt & I took a jaunt up to Snowbasin...

for a Gondola ride and afternoon mountaintop dining,

followed by some hiking.

Apparently, we didn't get the memo about the XTERRA Utah off-road triathlon that was going on up there Saturday!
(notice all those cars down in the parking lot?  Normally, you wouldn't expect to see that AT A SKI RESORT in late Summer/early Fall)
So, we shared the area and our lunch table with that crowd!  (talk about some amazing athletes!)

* I attempted to go donate plasma....and was rejected. :(
The snag? Low protein.  I guess I better start eating more liver and tofu!  Yippee! (not.)

* Matt & I went up to the Bountiful Temple to do a session.

(I did pretty good staying awake this time!)  ;)

* We made sure to end the evening with a treat at Dairy Queen.
A Cherry float always hits the spot.

* Since we have afternoon church, I like to spend the morning reading/viewing things on www.lds.org.

I first read this blog post.

Which led to/referenced this article.
Valuable things to ponder. 

* We did our "yearly measurements" on the kids (height, weight, shoe size, waist/inseam).
It was only about 2 months late, I usually like to get to it in the Summer PRIOR TO going school shopping, but oh well.....
I write these all down and keep it in my purse, so I don't have to keep it all in my brain,
and I can look at it when I'm out shopping.
It's also fun to see how much they've grown from the year before!
Although everyone has grown and gained weight, the most unanticipated are:
Kyle now sports the same size shoe as his dad - a size 12!
Katelyn is just 4 inches away from being taller than I am!  She is only 10 yrs. old!

* Churchy-Church

In Sacrament meeting, we heard from a returned missionary who'd served in New Zealand.
THAT'S where I dreamed of going on my mission back in my youth!

While sitting there, I tuned-in to the fact that Matt needed me to rub his neck - he was not exactly
displaying a great deal of calmness at the moment - because of his first Gospel Doctrine lesson he had to teach in Adult Sunday School the next hour.
He prepared A TON on this lesson - and only taught a small portion of it before time ran out.
(Ya never know how it'll go with the class participation factor)

* After church, I made squash casserole.
(we've still got an overabundance from our garden!)

* We had dinner and FHE at Brenchley's

While talking together afterwards, we had an intriguing conversation about the lesson many of us had had in our Relief Society/Priesthood classes today titled,
 "Beware of Pride."

Bottom Line:  We ALL have it in some form.
(withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, won't change our mind to accept truth, comparison, fault finding, jealousy, love the praise of man, don't receive correction easily, rebellion, puffed up,  defensiveness, not happy for another's acheivement, etc., etc.)

AND we all need to overcome/repent of this sin!

* I started my [Sunday night ritual] weekly letter to Ryan out on his mission.