Christmas 2008

Wow, 2008 is over. It came, it conquered, and then it left. What in the world did I accomplish last year?!

Well, my children are still alive, so I guess all the many, MANY meals that I cooked actually made SOME difference. The dental work for Andon is done and paid for, another year of school started, and everyone is happy and healthy.

What did I do for myself? Hmmm.....not sure.

For FHE we decided to work on MONTHLY goals, vs YEARLY goals. It's so easy to get burn out when you're facing 12 months. Plus, the kids just can't think that far in advance. If we can get through the week we're good. (We function on a week to week basis here at the Bassett house. My brain can't handle the overload that even a week and a half provides.) So the kids picked out what they wanted to do for the month of January, and then the first week in February we'll reevaluate and see what we need to change or keep. This seems to be the easiest for me and Doug as well. (Cross my fingers it works.)

I'm not nearly up on my blogging as I used to be, but I'm finding the time this morning. I thought I'd share a few pics from our christmas and trip to Utah.

So here goes:


Both her and Teaghan got necklaces with the beginning initial of their names. They got two cause Grandma bought one and Santa brought another. I suppose Santa and Grandma oughtta coordinate better next year:(


Britt got Kids Bop 14 which she was super excited about. The girl LOVES music. She's building up quite her own CD collection. As she gets older I may need to start getting her good teen church music. Right now her collection consists of High School musical soundtracks, Camp Rock Soundtracks, a couple disney cd's sung by popular artists, and a couple of kids bop cd's. Good music. Let's hope it stays that way.



This is a picture of my boys and their cousin Treven. As you can see, the nudist colony is STILL healthy and thriving. For winter time Doug and I have said that the boys have to have at least a pair of pants or a shirt on at ALL times. We don't care if they take off their shirt, as long as they keep their pants on. It was a fight initially, after the summer was over and they were allowed to strip down to their skivies in the afternoon, but we held firm, Doug and I. So needless to say, when Treven is over, he takes his shirt off too. Boys will be boys. I have to say that there have been times that I wish I was one so that I could take my shirt off and not shock the neighbors. But alas, such is not the case. But thank heavens cause who wants to have boy parts? Know what I mean???



This is my adorable niece Maycie. I wish they were planning on living in california for the next five years because I want to use her as my guinea pig when I need to learn something about my camera. I love taking toddler photos!!



More pictures of the nudists. Wouldn't it be funny, 10 years from now and they're still not wearing shirts? That day may have to be documented and put on my wall, ready for the use of blackmail as a coercion tactic when they're teenagers.



The girls are opening gifts. Note the little tree at the top: that wasn't our christmas tree, but now that I'm looking at it I realize that I didn't get a photo of the tree. Why in the world not??!!? It was absolutely gorgeous! It was the best tree we've ever had, and we've been married 13 years. Why in the world did I not get a picture???? Oh, how I lament.

It really was quite the tree.

Anyway....



Archie loved the wrapping paper. However, he didn't like the fracas of all the UNwrapping. Too loud I suppose, cause it really was a free for all.



You may be wondering why we got silverware for Christmas. No? Oh well. You can just skip to the next picture while I explain. Doug's mom lived with us the last couple of months while she was trying to sell her house, and one day she heard me complain about how I am always buying spoons but we NEVER, and I mean NEVER, have any. This went on for months. I would buy some, cheap though they were, and they would turn up missing. It became the joke around meal times to see if we could actually get enough spoons to feed everyone. The joke became very poignant particularly when we had soup for dinner.
So guess what she got us for Christmas? Yep. Silverware. Sweet, blessed silverware. One can never have too many. In fact, it's such nice silverware, that the drawer that it all sits in is very heavy. Oh how I love it!

I guess I should've warned you at the top. This post is turning out to be fairly long.

We went to Utah this christmas to see my family. We stayed with my sister. The kids couldn't wait to wake up and play in the snow in the backyard. Andon didn't think it was going to be that cold. He came in afterward complaining that his pants were wet. Go figure.






This was Zak's first time seeing snow. We got smart after Andon's complaint of wet pants and put bibs on Zak. He wasn't sure what to do with the snow once he got out there.


"You want me to lay down in this? Are you crazy?"


"Yes, see... watch us. It's fun!"


One of the days we were in Utah we took the kids down to temple square and over to the conference center. We've been inside before but had never taken a tour. It was very interesting hearing all the data about the building. It was quite the undertaking, especially when Pres Hinckley asked if they could get it done in just three years, so that he could be alive to see it completed. And they did! The view from parts of the building was spectacular!



One of the things in the Conference Center is this miniature waterfall. Children toss their coins in the fountain and then the people who work there gather it up and give it back to the church. I wish I could remember the amount she said gets collected, but I've never been one for retaining facts. I suppose that's why I suck at trivial pursuit. Anyway, it was a rather large number because I remember being astonished that that much money is pulled out of this little fountain. So Brittnee tossed in coin. I don't know if she made a wish or not. One can't ask those things you know- the wish won't come true:(



Doug and I got married in the Salt Lake Temple, and we took one of our wedding portraits right here. We thought it was only fitting that we get one of the kids in the exact same spot. This picture has become a reminder for me what two people can create. Here Doug and I started out, just the two of us, and 13 years later we have this little family. Absolutely amazing!



Did you notice the girls with no coats? I'm practically freezing to death taking the photo and the girls don't have coats. (Neither does Doug, but you can't see him.)
Are we from California or what? "Coats? What are coats? We don't know what those are. We have no use for those."

We took the kids to see the Joseph Smith movie in the Legacy Theatre. It was sooooo good!! I fought tears the entire time! The girls came out of it crying as well, but Brittnee in particular was quite touched by it. She came home and on her wall, put up pictures that she'd pulled from the Ensign of the First Presidency, along with numerous other church pictures. She wrote on one of the pictures with permanent marker that says, "Stand up for Yourself." She told me that Joseph Smith stood up for what he believed in and we should too. I'm slowly getting it that Brittnee is a deep thinker, and is actually quite profound at times. I was so moved and touched by her thoughts from this movie. So glad we went!!

All in all, a great Christmas.