A Visit from Santa

Believe it or not, Santa did come to the Palmer's house! Big time! The kids brought in the mother load! We are so grateful for those who helped the kids have such a plentiful Christmas. They were in HEAVEN! We had so much fun!. Clare woke up at 7:30 in the morning and had a little trouble getting in the Christmas spirit. But don't worry. It only took a couple of presents to warm her up and then she was rarin' to go! Hyrum was mostly interested in eating the candy from his stocking but after that was all gone (I know, I'm a bad parent for letting him eat candy before breakfast...and I usually don't, but it was Christmas!) He found that toys were almost as interesting as sweets. Clare found some monkey slippers in her stocking.

Clare wearing her "beautiful". That's what she calls the beautiful skirts that her Aunt Shelly made for her. She may never wear pants again. She just switches from one "beautiful" to the next ALL DAY LONG.

Santa was VERY generous and brought the kids a little play kitchen which Hyrum (interestingly) hasn't stopped playing with. The pot makes a bubbling sound when you put it on the burner and the frying pan sizzles. It's so cute!

Another "beautiful"

Hyrum "The Man" Taking after his daddy and loving power tool. He has hammered and sawed and drilled non-stop....(well, actually, that's what he does when he's taking a break from laboring in the little kitchen, slaving over a bubbling pot of.......air.)

So in a nutshell, we had a wonderful christmas, and not just because of the fabulous gifts. It has been, as always, a blessing to remember one of the most important and holy events in the history of the world. I especially enjoyed reading Luke 1 this year. I pondered a lot over the story of Mary's conception, the words of the angel Gabriel, and Mary and Joseph's path to becoming the earthly parents of the Savior of the world. I am so grateful for the humble people that brought forth the child of God and endured so much hardship so that the Christ-child could save us all. I am so grateful to a kind and merciful God for sending his most precious Son, knowing the anguish of body and soul that he was sending him to. And I am thankful for a Savior who inexplicably believed that we were important enough that He would 1. Live a perfect life worthy of making a perfect sacrifice. 2. Make the final and ultimate sacrifice. 3. Send His restored gospel to the earth in our day, so that we can have a shot at returning to live with Him and his Father again. Joy To The World! And may all of your holidays be joyful ones.

David's Creativity

David is so unbelievable. He can figure just about anything out. He is so patient too. If one thing doesn't work, he tries something else until he finds something that does work. He wanted to build a little kid's table for christmas this year. Our kitchen has a bar, but not room enough for a kitchen table. We can only fit three at the bar and since we have four in the family, it was getting pretty crowded. He had some oak cabinet doors that the cabinet shop that he used to work at was throwing away and decided to make the table out of that. He found a picture of a table on the internet and then just spent a Saturday out in the garage working on it till he got it all figured out. The only money he spent on it was for the bolts. Yeah! Good job David!

The kids LOVE eating at their "tiny table". Clare and Hyrum are having a princess tea party with the new princess tea set that Grandma and Grandpa Palmer gave Clare for Christmas.

I love Christmas....right?

I love putting up Christmas decorations. I love Christmas time and Christmas music. I LOVE wrapping Christmas gifts and going Christmas shopping. I love the smell of cinnamon and fresh Christmas trees. I think that's why I get so frustrated with my kids when they undo all of my carefully arranged decorations on the tree and any other reachable spot. David and I put the tree up and decorated it last night after the kids went to sleep. This morning they waited about 5 minutes before undecorating it. I've been snarling at them all morning but I just gave up. It's not worth being grumpy and mean till christmas. Dave-o putting on the lights. Thanks babe!

This sweet little bird's nest was in the tree when they cut it down and I had to keep it and leave it in the tree! It's just so precious.

Turkey with Mashed Potatoes and Trees

We spent our Thanksgiving holiday at my parents house in Crane, OR. My brother Matthew and his family were also there so there were GIRL cousins to play with! We had so much fun eating, playing games, and working! It snowed the day after Thanksgiving when we usually go up to the mountains to cut down a christmas tree so the kids and moms stayed home while the guys went up and got a beautiful tree for David and I. On Saturday it was beautiful and sunny so we got our warm clothes and headed up to cut down a couple of dead trees for my mom and dad to use for firewood. (Their only source of heat is a wood stove.) Crazy girls.

Erica and Clare having a snowball fight. Actually it was a snowball attack since most of the throwing of snow was done by Erica. Clare took it like a champ. She spent most of the time in the warm truck though.

Adorable Sofie.....good tree, good tree. There, there...soon we will have you cut and stacked in the warm shed.

The Saw man. My brother Matthew and the tree he just cut down.

Here is a little video of Matthew cutting down the first tree. It is actually really cool to see and here a tree this big coming down. The cracks and booms are tremendous and the ground shakes when it falls. I laugh when I here my little bro Mike yell "TIMBER!"

What's New

First of all, we are going Green and recycling everything that we can think of. For Instance: this old waste-basket is now a functional, attractive piece of clothing for the children. It wasn't working for Hyrum. (All of the other little kids in nursery were making fun of him for wearing a "skirt") Clare however, took to this little gem. Not only do we do something that's good for the environment, we are also saving money! Genius! I saw a count-down-to-Christmas calendar like this one in a craft shop down the stree and decided to make one myself. I think it turned out pretty cute. It's also really cheap. I think I spent a total of $2 on it.
Besides that, we haven't been up to much. I'll break it down like this.
Health: Good and improving. We are all pretty much over our colds.
Kids: Fun, Challenging, Adorable. Clare is learning alphabet letters which she calls "LP's". She can now count fairly accurately to 3. Clare has stopped taking naps during the day. Groan. Hyrum has been waking up a lot at night and screaming. My attempt last night to let him cry it out ended when his screaming was briefly interrupted with a loud THUMP!. He had figured out how to climb out of his pack and play onto his head. I'm hoping for better sleep tonight. Hyrum is very mischievious. Any opportunity to tease or exaspirate his big sister is snatched at and employed with relish. When he isn't tormenting Clare, he is clawing at me and crying. This happens especially if I sit down. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MY SWEET, CUDDLY LITTLE BOY?
Worries: Clare is not putting her words together very well and still pretty hard to understand. Money (aren't we all) David and Esther are worried about the direction that our government is headed. We pray that good sense and honesty will prevail among our country's politicians.
Joys: So many. Our kids always remind us that there is joy to be had in every little thing. The sunny days that still persistently show their faces a couple of days a week. Creating fun, cute things when I can find the time (and inspiration)

Some Cool Websites to Check Out

My brother Glen does some beautiful leatherwork. He makes mostly chaps and chinks but has also made purses and holsters. He makes the most adorable little chaps for children and even toddlers too. He can do pretty much anything with leather. He just got a website up and running to showcase some of his work and hopefully sell some custom leatherwork. Check it out at http://www.glenadamsleather.com/
My SIL and her family also just got a really cool website going called http://www.dailyvibez.com/ I LOVE the service they provide. If you sign up at their website for about $5 a month they will send daily texts to the person of your choice in the form of uplifting and inspirational quotes. It makes a great gift and in a world filled with so much negativity, its nice to have something consistently uplifting in your life.
Thanks for reading!

The Adventure Continues

Colds are running rampant through our house of late. We left the house today for the first time since last Friday. I got sick first, then Clare got a little sniffly nose for a day or two (That girl has the immune system of a horse......although I'm not exactly sure what that means.) Now I'm getting better and Hyrum and David are sick. Poor guys. In short, I have been laying around a lot, the kids have been getting into trouble.... I found Clare in the bathroom yesterday with two bottles of fingernail polish open and dark red polish ALL over the counter-top and sink. I'm sorry to say that she got a big spanking. I spent the next hour dousing a rag with fingernail polish remover and scrubbing the counter-top, sink, walls and floor. BTW, did you know that prolonged contact with fingernail polish remover will, indeed, kill the top layer of skin? Really. It does. Any-hoo..... hopefully we will be feeling better soon.
P.S. I don't know who that little girl is in the picture, but she is super cute right? I will add a disclaimer here that I do not look that cute when I am sick, which is why I didn't put a picture of myself up there.

Failure to Launch

The Sale of our house fell through yesterday. The buyer's work cut back on his hours so his loan wouldn't go through. No words can say how bummed we are. It was having the end in sight, only to have it snatched away...Now we're stuck in Tremonton for the winter most likely. Groan!

Spooky

What could be better than staying up late so that you can wander around the neighborhood asking people for candy while dressed like a car,horse, elephant or Chinese princess? We went to a halloween party on Friday night at our friends' house and had so much fun goofing off. They had a mummy pinata, spooky Halloween treats, the most delicious pumkin chip dip! and lots of fun and games. Megan made this Lightening McQueen car out of cardboard and spray paint! Way talented.

Clare as a Chinese Princess. On actuall Halloween night she was an elephant but being the true space cadet that I am... I didn't get a picture of it.

Hyrum was trully adorable as a horse. He's a little girl crazy too. He love to give little girls hugs.

Surfs up! OOOh la la! That's my hunk a burnin love!

The Haircut

I have been feeling the need for a change as often happens when the season changes so i got on www.marykay.com and went to their virtual makeover site to try out a few different hair styles. It is so much fun to try out the different make-up colors and hairstyles/colors. You should totally try it out. I settled on the hairstyle below and took the picture to the hairstylist so that she could see what I wanted.

ummmm. This is the haircut that I got. Yeah, looks nothing like what I ordered but hey! It's just hair and I don't mind the cut. It's all right. Please tell me it doesn't look hideous!

Sisters, Sisters. Never were there such devoted sisters.

My two sisters came to visit for a couple of days last weekend. It was so much fun to have them here. We don't get to get together, just the girls very often....like, once every couple of years. We had great girl time and enjoyed ourselves immensly. Carla brought her two littlest boys. Carson and Sawyer. The are the cutest, little munchkins. I just want to squish them and munch on their chubby, squishy little cheeks. They are adorable. Joyce brought her seemingly endless energy and her capacity to make the simplest activities seem like the greatest thing since zippers. Joyce and I lived together when we were both at BYU-Idaho. We had so much fun together. I miss having her so close, she always makes me laugh. Carla and Carson.

Look at those cheeks! Couldn't you just kiss them silly?

Joyce and the kids playing in the leaves. Not just playing in the leaves, when Joyce is around it's like an autumn celebration party.

My beautiful sisters. The night before they left Joyce and I ran to "Kent's" and got a bottle of Natural Instincts "Warm Chestnut" hair dye. I helped her apply it and it turned out so great! I love it! She looks HOT! Thanks girls for coming, I hope we can do it again soon.

Another Little Visitor

My next door neighbor came over the other day looking like death warmed over. She had been puking all day and asked me if I would take her baby for the night so that she wouldn't have to get up and feed her, and risk getting the baby sick too. I said "You bet!" Maddox Grace is a sweet, angelic little two month old little bundle of joy. We were so blessed to be able to have her for a few hours and she slept so well! The kids oohed and aahed and kissed and loved her so much. We might have to provide them with a little brother or sister here pretty soon.

It's Finished....Almost

We finally finished Clare's dollhouse! At least it's mostly finished. I still have to put the trim around the windows inside and do some touch-up paint but it's pretty much done. Now we just need some furniture. Does anyone have any old Barbie furniture that their daughter has grown out of and aren't using anymore? If so, leave a comment and let me know. I would really appreciate it. Now it's time to work on Christmas presents. By the way...I still miss you summer!

Mourning the Change of Season

I woke up a couple of days ago and realized that the season had changed and it was fall! No more 80 degree days, no more spur of the moment weekend fishing trips or picnics. I HATE saying goodbye to summer. I would enjoy fall so much more if winter didn't come imediately after it. Autumn really is a wonderful time of year it's just that you always have that little shred of dread for the long, dark, cold months ahead. So, on that downer note.....Sorry about that. I obviously have strong feelings about the seasons.. Our next door neighbors invited the kids over to their garden patch to pick out a pumpkin. Clare had a blast while Hyrum was more interested in the bikes. Bailey, our little helper/sometimes babysitter. Cutey patutey

She really was pretty psyched about the pumpkin, even if you can't tell by her face.

I love the color of pumpkins! Not that I'd want to decorate my house with it but it is a wonderful, rich color.

The Palmer Farm

Last weekend we visited David's brother and his family in Idaho. They have a house on ten acres of land just outside of Blackfoot. We love going to visit them. They are so much fun! You probably can't see the similarity between David and Steve from this blurry picture but they look a lot alike. They're grove of russian olive trees where they have also planted an orchard of apple and pear trees. It's so pretty! It looks like Steve is picking his nose, and he might be..but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt. :)

Jessica and Clare. Jessie helped Clare so much and shared her toys so well!

Hyrum spotted the goats as soon as we drove up and mimicked goat sounds the whole time.

These goats are "Nubians" They are super cute! I may have to get one. The kids also enjoyed Steve and Emily's chickens, guinea foul, and baby kittens. We look forward to any new animal additions they may get in the future and will have to make sure we get up there more often.

The Dollhouse

I have been so bad about blogging lately. We have been pretty busy with different things...This Dollhouse being one of them. It is a work in progress and David and I are having so much fun with it. It's almost become an obsession. Everywhere I go I'm looking for things that will work as furniture/curtains/rugs/flooring etc... here are some examples. A couch made from a little wooden shelf and a chair found at the D.I. I still need to sew cushions for both.

The bed and little bedspread I made for Clare

The bed and bedspread I made for my adorable little niece, Natalie

The Dollhouse. I'm so glad I have such a handy husband who can build stuff like this. He even made the attic into storage space with a little hatch at the top to stick stuff in. I can't wait to get it painted and the flooring down. I'm still looking for windows on line but they are pretty expensive, as is Furniture that is Barbie Doll size.

My own little Dolls. I like to hug them and squish them and give them kisses. They are the loves of my life. I am so grateful to have such beautiful children and such a great Husband. They are my everything.

Ah...To Be 28 Again

There is nothing that can make you feel older than turning 30 before your husband turns 28. David's 28th birthday was September 6th. What a spring chicken! Anyway...For his birthday he got himself a new fishing pole and we celebrated by going to Mantua reservoir on our friend's canoe and fishing. David's mom watched the kids for us (thanks Mom!) so that we didn't have to worry about capsizing (not that it helped. David insisted on fishing while standing up....have you ever tried that in a canoe?) It was lots of fun though and we caught a lot of fish and enjoyed being outside together.

P.S. On a side-note...Our Anniversary was on Aug 30. We've been married for 6 years now which doesn't sound like a lot, but yet feels like a long time because of the massive changes that we've had in our lives in those six years. The big change was, of course, the arrival of our children. We have been so blessed to have two beautiful, fun, healthy children. We've definitely
had our difficult times but have found the strength to work through them and build a strong foundation for our future trials. Here are six things I love about David. One for every year we've been married:

1: He still laughs at my jokes However lame they may be.

2: He reminds me to read my scriptures almost every night.

3: He is so adorable when he plays with the kids. They adore him.

4: Everyday when he comes home from work he is so excited to see me and the kids. But I always get the first hug and kiss.

5: He is so good at saying "thankyou" and "I'm sorry". :)

6: He's a good lookin', smoking hot, babelicious hunk of burnin' love. I'm so glad he's mine forever.

A frivolous buy

My Sister in law, Becky and I were at the D.I. in Brigham City a couple of weeks ago when I spotted this little wrought iron out-door table. These chairs were close to it and had a similar design so I picked them up, having visions dancing in my head of the endless possibilities offered by revamping them all. Before.

The finished product. Cost (this is my favorite part.) Table: $8 Chairs: $2 each. Fabric: $4. Paint: $3. Now I don't have anywhere to put it but it was sure fun to do and it only took a couple of hours. My next project is making a doll house for Clare. David is going to help me of course. He is the saw man. I'm too chicken to use the table saw and he has the practical knowledge about how to put it all together. I'm so excited!

The Big One That Almost Got Away

Before we left Mantua we had to go to the reservoir and fish. I took the kids to play in the water. Clare is my little mermaid and Hyrum is my Sand kid.

Nothing like having cool buns while eating a delicious snack.

David would never forgive me if I didn't post a picture of the big large-mouth bass he caught on Monday before we came home from camping. He caught this big guy off the shore and then the fish swam right into a thick fog of moss. David had to wade into the lake up to his waist to get the fish because his line was about to break and he WASN'T going to let this one get away. Yay Dave!