My sister, Jenny, got married on December 29, 2010. It was such a joyous day and I couldn't be happier for my her. Jenny is my one and only sister and truly one of my best friends and I'm thrilled that she has found Matthew, who appreciates her for the wonderful and amazing person that she is. Jen, I love you so much and I'm so happy that this day has finally come. Thanks for letting me be a part of your special day!
Here's the girls before the traditional picture on the stairs. Is there anything more exciting than Christmas morning for a kid?
The three older girls each got a doll from Santa. They were all wondering how I knew to make matching doll nightgowns for their dolls. I told them that Santa and moms are tight like that.
Brigham with his Buzz Lightyear.
Stick horses for Brigham and Rachel.
Hazel playing with her new tea set.
Running gloves and a Spanish hymn book for Ben!
Merry Christmas!
We had quite the adventure as we were heading to Utah for Christmas. We left at 8:00 pm on Sunday night, hoping the kids would sleep most of the way. Although we had a bit of a rough start, they did pretty well and by 6:00 am we were around Panquitch, Utah and were pleased that we hadn’t hit any snow yet. As we headed up the mountain between Panguitch and Beaver the heavy rain began to turn to snow and just as we were almost to the top we realized that we couldn’t go any farther and would have to turn around. We headed back down the mountain to Panguitch where we planned on filling up with gas and possibly finding an alternative route. We thought it was a little odd when we drove into town that there wasn’t a single gas station open, but we just credited it to the fact that we were in a small town. We waited for a little while and then decided to look for any place with lights on. We drove into the hospital parking lot (although we weren’t sure what we were going to do there) and saw two guys walk inside and then walk back out a few minutes later. Ben got out of the van and approached them and it turned out that it was a couple of missionaries! Ben talked to them for a few minutes and found out that the whole town had lost power which explained why we hadn’t been able to find any gas stations open. They gave us their phone number and told us to call if they could help in any way and then went on their way. We drove out of the hospital parking lot still with no idea what we were going to do and pretty soon we were again parked on the side of the road. The kids were all awake by now and needed to go to the bathroom, but without any gas stations or stores open there wasn’t much we could do for them. We decided to say a pray and ask Heavenly Father for help. Afterward, I told Ben we should call the missionaries again and see if they knew of a place where we might be able to use the facilities. They said they would see what they could do. They called us back a few minutes later and said that there was a member family who was expecting us. We drove the few blocks to their house where the father was waiting at the front door welcoming our family into his home. As we walked into their front room they had a fire going in the fireplace and their children were gathered around waiting to see if school would be cancelled that day (it was). We were given flashlights and took turns using the bathroom and warming ourselves by the fire. It turns out that the father of this family of eight (four daughters and two sons) was the one and only seminary teacher in Panquitch. Their sweet children played with our little ones as Brother Holman proceeded to make us breakfast and make us feel completely at home. After breakfast, some of the girls took Rachel, Eliza, and Brigham (dressed in their own rubber boots and oversized hoodies) out to the pasture behind their house to see their pet sheep. We were there for over an hour before the power came back on and we were on our way again. We pointed out to our family as we left that little town that the Lord had answered our prayers that day.
I can hardly believe this little girl just turned 6 years old. She is still just as tiny as can be, but don't let that fool you. She is full of spunk and is a little ball of energy. She loves playing with friends (including her sisters and brother) and when she's not doing that she likes to help her mom out. She's very strong-willed (which can sometimes get her into trouble) and has a HUGE sweet tooth. Mostly, this girl is very fun to have around and we love her!
Rachel really enjoys going to kindergarten and loves her teacher Mrs. Taylor. She got to be the Star Student this week and do a special show and tell on her birthday.
Rachel is into Barbie. She got the Christmas Carol Barbie and movie.
Here she is blowing out the candles! (Notice how we have the number candles 4,3, and 1 on the cupcakes. Um, yeah, we didn't have any regular candles so we improvised.)
The kids were very excited to put up the Christmas tree on Friday as is our family tradition. It took all of 10 minutes and they had it all decorated. It always makes me laugh when I think about the first couple of years we were married and how I had to make sure that all of the ornaments were placed on the tree just so. Now, I just let the kids have at it and they have the best time going through all the ornaments and remembering where they all came from. 
Tonight I had the opportunity to participate in the Women at the Well program by Kenneth Cope. This is such a neat program that tells, through song, the stories of women in the scriptures who knew the Savior. My good friend, Carol, wanted to do this as a fireside in our ward and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it. Each of the ladies who participated really bore their testimonies through their songs and it was such an uplifting experience. My song was "Greater Love". It was the last song in the program and from the perspective of a woman in the modern days. Thanks to all the ladies and to Carol for making this such a great experience!
My brother Marcus passed away on Friday November 5. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer a mere seven months ago. And although he was told that it was a serious case he had been receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatments and was doing quite well. It came as a shock to us all when we heard the news that he had passed away suddenly outside an apartment complex in Meridian while on his way to visit a friend. He left behind his wife and soul mate, my sweet sister-in-law, Colleen.
The soccer season has come to an end. Rachel and Eliza both had a great season. Eliza particularly enjoyed playing soccer this year and also became quite good friends with several of the girls on her team. I must admit I am somewhat relieved that it is over because it will free up our Saturdays, but I'm glad that the girls enjoyed themselves. The girls were thrilled to get these neat trophies which will proudly be displayed in their new bedroom.
I promised the girls when we moved that we would create a super cool space for them so that has been one of my biggest projects in this new house. We painted their room a very bright green which they all think is super fun and cute. I worked very hard to make a cushion for the window seat in their room and then covered their lamp to match. My next project is going to be an awning window treatment above the window seat.
The kids had fun feeding leftover soccer snacks to the ducks between games with the Konopnicki kids.
