Christmas 2009

This Christmas was different than last year's because Melinda was actually with us on Christmas and we didn't have two weeks of snow to deal with. We had a late leisurely Christmas morning with Melinda and Aubrey and Blaine's family. After opening gifts, we had our traditional homemade blueberry waffles. Thanks to Dave, we have a new Belgium waffle maker to add to our collection. In the afternoon we took a walk on a country road for some exercise and to enjoy the sunshine but the wind was blowing hard and it was freezing and so after a short walk we did a u-turn and headed back to the car. In the evening we enjoyed watching "The Blind Side" and eating popcorn at one of the local theaters.

Dave checking out what Santa left in his stocking.

Blaine helping Mylee with her new vacuum.

Mylee is going to be such a great helper to her mom with her new home cleaning appliance. Check out the jewelry she is wearing while vacuuming (reminds me of June Cleaver from "Leave it to Beaver").

Mylee and Grammy checking out the goods in Mylee's stocking. She got some tasty dried strawberries and peaches.

Aubrey polishing off a mug of hot chocolate with whip cream.

Melinda, Marissa and Mylee opening up some new clothes.

The Saturday after Christmas we had a homemade pizza party at our house. Blaine and Marissa brought over the fixings for barbecued chicken pizza--it was delicious! We had a few other pizza choices too and homemade mango sorbet with crisp ginger cookies. We had a fun time dancing to some tunes with Mylee leading the show.

Mary Ann's Birthday

When Dave asked me what I would like him to fix for my birthday feast this year, I told him that a roast beef dinner with lemon meringue pie for dessert sounded great. It was a wonderful meal with Aubrey, Blaine, Marissa and Mylee here with us to celebrate.

The pie was tasty thanks to Shari's Restaurant and Aubrey for picking it up for us.

Melinda sent me this lovely floral arrangement of sweet smelling flowers including my favorite flower--carnations. Evan and Driel sent me a gift card from Amazon which I am looking forward to using for a new book. Aubrey gave me an ITunes gift card--she knows I love music.

Opening a neat can opener gift and also receiving a darling framed photo of Mylee from Blaine & Marissa's family.

Mylee is trying to figure out how to take a picture from an "antique" camera that her Granddad let her play with.

Blaine and Mylee having fun with Aubrey's set of MarbleWorks that she won when she was in grade school.

Our decorated Christmas tree smelled so good this year.

Quilt for Emily Miller

Melinda Miller, a member of our ward, died recently of melanoma--a battle she had been fighting for the past three years. She was only in her early 40's and left a husband and three children. I had the privilege of sewing together quilt squares that had been cut into 4" squares from her clothing to make this quilt for her youngest daughter Emily who is 14 years old. Two more quilts were made by other ward members--one for her daughter, Erica, and one for her son, Jacob. It took me a couple of weeks to organize the squares and sew them together and during that time I thought a lot about Melinda and her family and how important and wonderful my family is to me.

Mylee's 2nd Birthday

On Saturday, December 12, 2009, we celebrated Mylee Moo's 2nd birthday. She was not feeling well and had been sick during the week but seemed to perk up during the celebration. We had pizza, strawberry smoothies, and one of her favorite fruits--mangos.

Here we are around the table enjoying Mylee's birthday dinner.

Of course, we had delicious birthday cake that was homemade by Marissa.

Time to open presents!

Blaine using some tools to put together Mylee's new shopping cart.

Mylee filling up her shopping cart with Addie and pretend food.

Mylee's quad that her parents gave her and brought over for her and Aubrey to test drive in our living room.

Getting a Tree

For the past 30 years, our family's tradition is to go to a local Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree. We love the smell of a freshly cut Noble Fir tree that permeates our home during the holidays. We jumped in the old Suburban and headed out to our favorite tree farm in Sherwood that a German family has owned since the 1970's.

Our 11 year old Benson (77 in dog years) came along to help us pick out the perfect tree. Once we arrived at the farm, he decided he liked the warmth and comfort of the Suburban and wanted to stay put.

It was pretty cold and muddy and so we came prepared in our rubber boots and warm coats.

In checking for high quality, it is helpful to examine the straightness of the top of the tree.

It is also a good idea to check out the huggability of a Christmas tree before deciding if it is the right one for your family.

Freshness is an important factor in choosing a tree too.

Here is one of America's top models, Aubrey, wearing one of the latest fashions in tree cutting attire while Blaine is sawing his Christmas tree.

Christmas Lights at Temple Square, Nov. 30, 2009

The Monday after Thanksgiving, Dave, Aubrey, and I checked out the Christmas lights on Temple Square which is right next door to where Aubrey lives in the dorms at The Plaza while attending LDSBC. We were so hungry and cold afterwards from walking around in the freezing weather that we took a ride on the TRAX to the mall to find some hot chocolate and dinner.

Dave and Aubrey with the beautiful Salt Lake Temple in the background.

Dave and Mary Ann (with teeth chattering) posing amongst the many lights.

Gorgeous display of lights by the tabernacle.

Getting warm in the tabernacle.

Taking pictures of Aubrey while experimenting with the camera's flash feature.

Dave showing us how little room there is from his knees to the bench in front of him while sitting in the the tabernacle.

Dave and Mary Ann riding TRAX.

TRAX is one form of transportation that Aubrey uses to get around Salt Lake.

Thanksgiving & Decorating for Christmas

This is the first time in our 30 years of marriage that we have left the state where we were living and travelled to another state to enjoy Thanksgiving. On Thursday, Dave and I flew into Salt Lake City and drove to Evan and Driel's home in Orem. When we arrived we were amazed at all the home cooking that had been happening. . .turkey roasting in the oven, homemade bread dressing, salads, pies, mashed potatoes, rolls, and beautifully decorated tables. Evan and Driel put so much time and effort into making Thanksgiving so tasty and memorable.

Before we ate, there was time for Granddad to read "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" to sweet Moriah.

Aubrey spent some time reading Evan and Driel's hardbound blogging memories.

Music was an important part of our stay. Here is Aubrey playing a little jingle for us on the old accordion.

After Thanksgiving, it was fun helping Evan and Driel's family decorate for Christmas. Fiona was so good about just looking at the Christmas tree decorations and Moriah was helpful with the ornaments.

Evan decorating the upper part of the tree while Grammy has a fun time playing with her darling granddaughters.