A Beary Good Time

Grandma and Grandpa Forsberg gave the kids gift cards to Build-A-Bear for Christmas. Yesterday we entered the Land of Fluffing, Noise and Stuffed Animal accessories to create 3 little masterpieces. I always love to watch our kids do the same project and see how different the outcomes are. Jayden opted for her all time favorite animal-the monkey and clothed her in, of course, all Hannah Montana attire. She also named her monkey "Hannah." No surprise there. Braley opted for her favorite color-hot pink and choose clothing that was sparkly and frilly (note to self: next Christmas might be the right time to buy her a BeDazzeler). In honor of everything pink and girlie her bear has been christened "Sleeping Beauty." Ansen went with one of his favorite sports-Basketball. His little doggy also has a basketball to make it look authentic. He is preoccupied with perfecting his doggy yelp to sound just like his new friend, whom he affectionately calls "Ruff Ruff."

*side note-Jason survived the crowds, hoards of kids, and the multiple dressings and undressings of our new friends to give them the perfect look...good job babe! I won't make you go back for at least a year*

Merry Chirstmas

Merry Christmas! We hope that you have had a wonderful day with your families. We pray that the Spirit Chirstmas was felt in each of your homes. We are thankful for the Christ child and for the life of our Savior. We are also thankful for your friendship.

How was your Christmas morning? Our kiddos let us sleep until 8:30 a.m. this morning! What a great Christmas gift that was! I guess all that night-before-Christmas excitment just plain tuckered them out! The kids enjoyed getting gifts just as much as giving them. Santa made a stop at our house last night and not only did he have cookies and milk waiting but a new Jingle Bell for each of his Riendeer as well.

One our favorite presents was a HUGE suprise! WE HAD SNOW! Real snow. Big flakes. It was a Chirstmas miricale:) The kids, and Jason and I, were so excited to see the snow...it just makes Chirstmas magical!

We also had our annual Widing Family Chirstmas get-together on Sunday. We put Braley and Jayden in charge of taking all the pictures....I don't think we explained that you need to stand back a few feet.

I know, I know, you are thinking to yourself "what an attractive bunch. How did they all end up in the same family?" We're just lucky I guess. (There, that's a little better picture--just click on the picture if you want to see how cute we really are.)

Again, we hope your Christmas Season was Wonderful and your Christmas Day exciting and fun. We love you all, Merry Chirstmas!!!

Christmas Par-tee

Ansen made his Preschool Christmas party debut and did so well. The first few minutes were a little rocky due to stage fright but once that subsided he had a blast. He sang. He danced. He even wore his Reindeer antlers with a smile on his face. We made a snowflake candle together and ate lots of yummy cookies. Christmas parties rock!

On a different note, Barney has decided to take up residence under the Christmas tree. While it may be cute, I am not sure how Santa is going to get presents under our tree without waking the snoring old Wiener dog.

The Widing kids have had the chance to meet up with dear old Santa four times since Thanksgiving. They all love Santa. When Santa asked what they would like for Christmas they all have said the same exact thing each time (whew!). More importantly, they took the time to ask Santa what he wanted for Christmas. This took the Man in Red by surprise and he said he had never been asked that before. He finally said that he would like a nice vacation for he and Mrs. Claus and a great-big-giant-hug from the Widing kids. He got the great-big-giant-hug and I'm sure Santa deserves one heck of a vacation too! What did you ask Santa for this Christmas?

Go Figure

I have issues with technology. I think I always have. I know I always have. You know that song at the very end of Napoleon Dynamite that Kip sings? "I love Technology", not me. Here's a brief explanation (go ahead feel bad for me).

First. Saturday we went and cut down our Christmas tree. We had a great time and the weather was warm, sunny and so unseasonable. We went up with our friends the Kurns and the Mercados. 6 adults, 10 kids, 8 acres of tall, beautiful, fragrant tress=complete fun and madness. A small tip for you; Marco Polo is very affective outside of the pool when Christmas Tree hunting. I took great pictures and wish you could see them but my camera broke again. UGH! I am cursed! So I will try and retrieve my pictures soon.

Second. The power cord to my computer died on Saturday so I have be living in the dark ages since then. My new cord arrived today. Wow, a whole 5 days. How did I ever make it? Did you miss me? (Kirs--no snide comments)

Third. It was my mom's birthday on Sunday and my land line would not let us make outgoing phone calls outside of the 503 prefix. Monday morning, our line worked just fine. So Ma, I love you. Happy Birthday to you. P.S. I have been letting everyone know how proud I am of you for going in for your colonoscopy and dealing with the dreaded butt cam. But you did it! Good girl. And don't worry I am also telling everyone that the doctor told you that you that you have the colon of a 20 year old. I am so proud:)

Fourth. Just for kicks the remote control stopped working too. It was no big deal and it was a quick fix but come on. Give me a stinking break. Nothing else seemed to bother Jason but this was traumatic. On the up side, now my son is proficient in changing the channels manually courtesy of a little one-on-one time with good old dad.

So there you have it. I would break up with technology but that would be like breaking up with all of you...I will trudge on. Merry Christmas!

Another Rocky Vacation

Jason took me away for another weekend to make up for our disastrous trip to Palm Springs back in October. WE had such a GOOD time. First and foremost, I was healthy! What a difference that makes! I flew into Salt Lake in Wednesday and on Thursday we drove down to Zion's National Park. It is amazing. The scenery was amazing. The weather was perfect. The hiking was great! The heights were...uh...way too high.
The first hike Jason took me on was a hike that he did twice on his mission. It is called Angels Landing. It was the most terrifying thing I think I have ever done. The last 1/2 mile of the hike is hiking along a ridged line which on either side of it is 1,000-1,5000 straight drop off. The path was anywhere from 2 1/2 to 5 feet wide. You simply hold onto chain that was attached into the rock and pull yourself along the uneven and rising and falling ridge line. I knew I would be scared but I thought it would be a nervous energy, an adrenalin rush. NO WAY! I actually thought I was going to fall and die. So after an internal struggle I chickened out. I could not do it. I let the mountain defeat me. ARGH! I could not bring myself to climb out on the ledge and hold on to the chain and forge on through. Thankfully Jason found no fault in my pure horror and simply said, "We don't have to. There are plenty of other hikes." What a great husband. I would have done it had he pushed...but thankfully he didn't. Someday I may complete the last quarter mile but don't hold your breathe.
After Angel's Landing we took a few more hikes and climbed some rather exciting rock formations. By then it was raining, but what is a little rain to some Oregonians? The views from this park are spectacular and I would love to return and hike some more. We got in about 10 miles of hikes before it was time to head back up to SLC. I can't wait to get back but one thing is for sure...I will never bring my children. The cliffs are so high and there is no room for error or horsing around. I defiantly recommend Zion's.

On Saturday we were able to stop in Manti and visit old neighbors of ours. I love visiting with friends. I hope I get to see more of all you soon. Saturday night we went to go see the Temple Square Christmas Lights. They were wonderful. Beautiful. With the fresh snow it was so peaceful. I really enjoyed this trip and the time I was able to spend with Jason. It is so nice to be able to get away and just be us(even if it was on the top of a mountain)! I am thinking I might celebrate my 30th birthday at the top of Angels Landing...who wants to celebrate with me?