November/December

November began with a trip to the vet.  Lucky had some kind of tumor on his ear, and had to be fixed anyway, so he stayed overnight and returned home with eight stitches in his ear and .....
Rebekah turned 12 this year, and we had a big celebration.  Rebekah made popsicle invitations and invited a bunch of girls from school.  We headed to the beauty college to get our nails done.  Afterwards, we picked up some pizza and went home to play some games. Dessert was of course, popsicles.

Next, I had surgery, and learned of my new calling as YW president.  I recuperated over a weekend, and moved slowly for a few days.  I had training to attend for my calling, a presidency to prayerfully decide on, and a new organization to learn.  Sure, I was a young woman once, but that was quite a while ago. I will miss being Jacob's scout leader.  I have enjoyed the numerous scout activities we have attended together. 

Jacob has found a new friend that is just like him!  They have been spending time together at school and try to play together one day each week after school.  I am so glad he has found a good friend.

Then, Rachel had a birthday.  She invited a friend to sleepover.  We made dinner, had birthday treats, and went swimming at Green Canyon.  My girls are growing up quickly.  Rachel has been drawing/creating characters, and then she writes a story about them.  She and Hannah were sending messages to one another during the Christmas holiday via the Christmas train.

The following day, Rebekah and I went with some family to the temple for the first time and did baptisms for the dead.  The day was beautiful, and I couldn't miss this "first" with my daughter.  This was a priceless moment.  Rebekah also participated in festival up to BYU-Idaho.  She played memorized piano pieces in front of a judge.  The day was full of heavy snow and terrible roads, and despite our efforts, we arrived late.  However, once Rebekah sat down to practice, she was able to get rid of her jitters, and she did a marvelous job receiving top scores.  We are so proud of her talent, and enjoy listening to her practice.  She is self-motivated and learns quickly.

Thanksgiving came next in Twin Falls.  I was able to see all my siblings, my parents, and many relatives I haven't seen in a while.  Grandma Staples turned 90 and so we had a party for her to celebrate the milestone.  Dan cooked, Julie decorated and helped with food preparations,  the Lane Staples family prepared a musical number complete with lyrics,  Chelsea's family did too, and I just related some memories after Rebekah played the piano.  Greg and I braved the cold temperatures, and early morning hours standing in line waiting for the stores to open to get a few of the black Friday deals.  Chelsea and I slipped out to do some shopping, but ended up with a large entourage, some with their own agenda.  I am grateful to get some new additions to my wardrobe, and to get some of the Christmas shopping taken care of. 

December went by in a flash.  I was so busy, I was overwhelmed to say the least.  I couldn't get into the Christmas spirit, and was taking life minute by minute.  I had requirements for my college class and work.  I have a new calling as YW president, and that is taking up time I didn't think I had to spare.  Plus, we are right in the middle of working with the schools to make sure our children's learning needs are being met.  Rebekah is still getting sick and Greg has run into some health problems too.  When it rains, it pours.  Still, I tried to get all the shopping done, spend time with my husband and children, and find some semblance of balance.  It is not easy!  My regular chores were a struggle to find time for-grocery shopping, bill paying, cooking, cleaning.  Before I knew it, it was Christmas vacation.

This year for Christmas, we took our kids on a trip instead of buying a lot of things to put under the tree.  We flew to Las Vegas, stayed in a castle, and watched the Blue Man Group.  We walked our socks off, enjoyed some buffet style eating, and enjoyed the freebies provided by the hotels.  Our family enjoyed the vacation, but were glad to get home too.  We had family parties to attend, and Greg's sister's family was here from Ohio for a week.  We spent time playing with them.  On Christmas day, we headed to Lane Clark hill and spent the day sledding.  Karl let us drive his snowmachines around to take kids from the bottom of the hill to the top.  It was a lot of fun! We enjoyed lots of good fun and good company. 

I had such good intentions to get ahead of my school assignments and reading during the break, but I didn't.  Instead, I read books for fun, spent time with my family, and relished the down time to get some "to-dos", done.  I enjoyed my time off, and I am just now getting back into the old routines. 

Sooo....this year's Christmas card is this - Merry Christmas & Best Wishes for a New Year!