Love this song, love this performance

I'm ready to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!  Happy Holiday Season Friends.

here is the link if you can't pull it up:

http://youtu.be/8Ap_cqhitto

10 Random Thoughts

1. Thankful that this week will be a bit slower.  Love holidays, love days off.
2.  I purchased something from Amazon today, then cancelled the order 2 minutes later.  Changed my mind.  Then I put 10 items in my basket at gap/old navy/piperlime and came up to pay for it three times, then changed my mind.  I'm so indecisive today.
3. The more money we make, the more frugal I become.
4.  I've been i-phoned.  I'm loving it.
5.  Do we rake the leaves now, or wait until every single one has fallen?  
6.  Laundry...why do I dislike you SO MUCH?!?
7.  When I'm asked what I want for Christmas I have the hardest time deciding.(a loft in NYC, a camera lens that costs more than my camera, a summer in Paris, a chef to cook for me every night, and world peace...am I dreaming too big?)
8. I'm so happy my family makes me laugh. Love laughing.
9.  Love the movie, "Miracle on 34th Street" (the newer one)
10.  Love peppermint hot chocolate.


I'm always having thoughts like these.  It's like my brain never turns off. Anybody else feel that way?

Christmas Wish List Conversation

Me (speaking to the three younger kids):  What do you want Santa to bring you this year?
Elias:   A remote control train track, and a remote control airplane, it is only $17 mom.
Soren: A wooden castle with wooden people.
Eden:  A shot gun.

Awesome.

The Flood and After the Flood

So happy to be back in our church building.  After a pipe broke and flooded the entire building, we are finally back.  9 months later.  Derek has a bishop's office once again, and he can zoom right down the street and be back home in 1 minute.  Lovely.  Feeling very blessed.

Traditions

Tis the season of traditions.  Sometimes I find it a bit overwhelming, but I do love having traditions in our family.  One of the favorites...breakfast in bed on your birthday.  Here Noah is celebrating his first morning as a teenager.  Traditions rock.  I love how excited everyone is...not just the b-day boy (and G, who is still waking up).

I think I will make a list of traditions for each month, just so I can make sure we are doing a lot!!  Love this photo, it makes me smile and reminds me of a great day.

A TroPicaL VacaTioN to the Riviera Maya

10 days ago, this was my view:

and I had this man all to myself

 We relaxed a lot, snorkeled a lot, ate a lot, read a lot, went kayaking and bike riding and did a little sightseeing to some Mayan ruins.  It was lovely.  Very lovely. (except for the part where i jumped off a rock, landed wrong, and chipped a bone in my hand!!)