Christmas Wishes Simplified

Merry Christmas!

My children are not sure that the holidays are really here - because I am not stressed out this year. I have simplified a lot of things, including the Christmas cards we usually send out. I am not sending any this year. So if you usually receive one - please know that we still love you and we are thankful for all the people in our lives.

We have been extremely blessed this year to spend time with people we love. We have been reminded this year that life is all about families. Our little family. Our big extended family. Our ward (church) family. Our school family. And our community family.

Taking care of one another is the most important thing we do. Our Savior's life and atonement is the greatest example of "taking care" we know of.

We hope this Christmas season is filled with love and hope and reminders of our Savior's desire to care for us all.

P.S. Most fun family picture ever. It took several rides up and down in this elevator before we got everyone looking up in the right place at the right time.

Feeling the Christmas Spirit

Tanner was a little nervous about his big preschool nativity production. He was happy to wear a crown and be a king - but he told me several times he was a bit nervous about all the people.

This was before the program, while all the kids were waiting to go into the chapel.
This is Tanner with his teacher Mrs. Ross. Regular blog readers may remember that Tanner calls her Mrs. Frost. (Yes - we have had his hearing checked)
Throughout most of the program, Tanner moved his shoulders back and forth which made his robes sway back and forth. It looked pretty fun.
We love Tanner's preschool, his teachers and this sweet program they performed for all the families. It helped me get in the Christmas mood. And provided lots of laughs. The donkey swinging straw at Joseph was humorous and Joseph's bob and weave moves were impressive.

Gingerbread Houses

Don't you just love it when your friends include you in their fun family traditions? Especially when there is a guaranteed humongous mess at the end of the night. We have the Peines to thank for a great night of Gingerbread house building. We found out pretty quickly that the Dads were a little competitive with the house building. Melissa who is quick on her feet and all about the kids ( I learn a lot from her) quickly built smaller houses for all the younger kids so they could create their own masterpieces.

Erin and Eliza entertained the crowd (or at least themselves) while the Dads were monopolizing the candy and icing.
The rest of the kids had several costume changes, performed a puppet show, ran up and down the stairs a million times and cried all the way home. (Maybe that was just Tanner who insisted we didn't stay long enough)
The finished houses, interestingly reflect their owners. One was all about the landscaping. One was perfectly decorated and fancy. One had a well designed and sturdy portico built out of extra parts. And ours had pets. Ok - so ours doesn't reflect us. But I will give some stress-relief aromatherapy stuff to the first person who can match up the families to the houses correctly. (My point of view is correct, of course.)

Grace's Christmas Programs

After being in the school district here for nine years, we were excited when Grace came home from school to tell us they were performing a holiday program that we could attend. This is a first. She has been singing the songs since Halloween. The kids all did great with their parts.

Grace has been so happy to be in the same school with Avery this year. These two have been friends since they were babies.
Grace informed me the day before the program that she had a speaking part. Luckily, right before I took the picture above (which was 10 minutes before the program) - she let me know that she was the first speaker - otherwise I might have missed it! So many parents stood up to take pictures when the curtain opened I almost did!
Grace played in her Christmas Piano Recital. She has been taking lessons for about a year now. She played "Go Tell it On the Mountian". She did great! She said the piano keys were a little sticky. The recital was at an assisted living home. Some of the residents came to listen. This picture includes Grace's wonderful teacher, Kierre. She is one of the most talented people I have ever met. She arranged a beautiful orchestral piece for our stake conference. It was the most spiritual rendition of "I love to see the Temple" I have ever heard. I wish I had a recording. Her musical talents are incredible - but her teaching talents are amazing too. She also inspired Grace to quickly memorize and understand some of the Articles of Faith. Yes, we love her!

NYC - Finally!

For 9 years, Steve and I have been talking about this trip to New York. When he first started with BBW he went to NYC about once or twice a month. During the last 18 months, he has been there every week for several days. (He may say I am exaggerating, but I don't think I am.) So, finally we made this trip together! It was wonderful to finally see his office in SOHO and see where he eats lunch and shops when he is here. I also got to meet people he works with and put names with faces of people I have heard about. It was kind of like meeting a new version of my husband for the very first time. And I fell in love again. He took charge. He led us through great, unique shops and to fabulous restaurants. Thinking about it now makes me chuckle - because that is kind of how I felt on our first date. 18 years ago, he was showing me around his hometown, Heber City, taking me to the fish hatchery, cascade springs and local "hot spots" : )
We were blessed with great weather and enjoyed all our walking. We saw some awesome Christmas windows and lights around the city.
I am so glad we have this picture with Steve and Lisa Willes. It is because of them this trip actually happened. We talked about it with them over the summer and planning it with them forced us to do it! It was so fun to be with them. Lisa was one of my lifelines during grad school. Both of our Steves were working on their MBAs in Los Angeles at the same time. We both had two little girls and did some fun things together to stay sane. (scrapbooking and eating carmel treasures come to mind.) Whenever we see each other - we just pick up where we left off. It was so great to catch up on their lives and adventures. This trip had definite moments together that we will laugh about for years. A couple of french women come to mind. . .
I wish I had more pictures. I loved: Bryant Park (especially the banana and nutella crepes that reminded me of Paris), The Met, the candelabras at La Esquina, the tree-lighting at Vice Versa, Wicked, private breakfast in the lobby of the Dream Hotel, watching the elderly tourists take pictures of themselves with the naked statue at the Time Warner Center, little kids dressed in uniforms on their way to school, coconut crusted halibut at Amma, Rice to Riches, and so much more. I can't wait to go back!

This trip was brought to you by the letter M. M is for MY MOM who stayed with our children and helped them feel like they were on vacation too.

Mrs. Frost

On Sunday, while the whole family was in the kitchen, I asked Tanner about a project we had to do for preschool. This was the conversation:

T: Mrs. Kilgore and Mrs. Frost gave us a leaf to decorate.

Me: Do you mean Mrs. Ross?

T: No! Mrs. Frost!

Me: Tanner, your teacher's name is Mrs. Ross.

T: I call her Mrs. Frost.

The girls all looked at him. Steve asked Tanner if Mrs. Frost calls him Billy. At first Tanner was mad about the giggles from the girls. Then he just shrugged it off and muttered, "I call her Mrs. Frost." All day yesterday, the girls called Tanner, Billy. He didn't seem to care. I hope Mrs. Ross doesn't care.

Would you eat here?

While in Cincinnati last month we were looking for a place to eat breakfast. Would this place lure you in with its catchy name? I know squirrels aren't the usual roadkill we see in Ohio - but I can't help picturing dead squirrels when I see this sign. And restaurant names often give an indication of what you will be eating there. At Hoggys we eat pork. . . at Longhorn we eat steak. . . Pollo Loco we eat chicken. . . you get the idea.

What About the Cowboy?

Grace was the star of Trick or Treating in our neighborhood this year! When was the last time you saw Santa on halloween? (Department Stores don't count!) So people were a little surprised to see this little Santa on this "Beggars Night!" (local tradition, two days before halloween. . . don't get me started. . . ) People called out and said, "Great costume!"

At the beginning of the night Tanner yelled right back, "Thanks!" Steve noticed that as the night went on, Tanner realized that people were pretty much just talking to Grace. Several people wanted their picture with her. Finally, some adult dressed up as Bert (Bert and Ernie) yelled from across the street, "Love your costume, Santa!" Without hesitation, Tanner put both arms in the air and hollered back, "What about the cowboy?"

What about the cowboy? His mom didn't get a picture of his red cowboy boots - but his Dad did draw an awesome mustache on his face. (Tanner wishes he had done it with a Sharpie.) So the cowboy got a lot of candy and will be fine. But I wish he could have stayed innocent the whole night, believing everyone was cheering for him.

I'm glad Grace had the star treatment for the night. It was a joy to listen to Grace tell my Mom (the one who gave her the whole costume) about how much fun she had being Santa. I can safely say, that for my Mom, who cares very little for this event called Halloween, this was the best Halloween ever.

Happy Birhtday Grandma!

My Grandma is celebrating her birthday today. At least I hope she is celebrating! I cannot be with her today - but wish I could be. I was thinking of all the important events in my life and realized Grandma has been there or close by for most of them. Grandma was there for my baptism and confirmation. (I assume my baby blessing but I have no recollection of that.) She was in the temple with me the day I made important covenants there. She was in a different temple with me when I was sealed to Steve for all eternity. Her handsome husband (my Grandfather, who I still miss) was the sealer who performed the sealing. And she was pretty close by for two of my four children's births. That pretty much sums up all the important events in my life!

However, a few months ago - Grandma was not just around - but she was the REASON for the latest event I will add to my list. Until this day, Grandma had met and shaken the hands of all the prophets since Heber J Grant, except for President Monson. My sister Jenni mentioned this to a friend of ours who has frequent meetings with the prophet. He arranged for this "event" to happen. We were told that President Monson would be in-between meetings and he would come out and greet Grandma during the meeting change. We imagined that we would see him for 5 minutes tops. When we saw President Eyring and President Uchtdorf come out of President Monson's office, I got my camera ready. I was ready to snap a bunch of pictures in the few minutes she visited with him. We were a little surprised when President Monson invited us into his office and pulled chairs around his desk for the 5 of us. (My parents and sister Jenni were also there.) We were in greater awe when we were leaving his office over an hour later.

President Monson shared with us many stories and bore testimony that the Lord works miracles through his servants to bless the lives of others. The best word I can think of to describe this hour, is one that I never use, "delightful." We laughed as he and Grandma shared funny stories. He showed us things around his office that mean a great deal to him. (The first thing that he showed us was a picture of his dear wife.) And he told us about the artwork throughout the office and meeting rooms. It was truly delightful. I knew I was in the presence of God's spokesperson, our prophet. What an incredible blessing! Thank you Grandma!

President Monson, showing Grandma this painting of Christ by Heinrich Hoffman. I believe he has had this picture of Christ in his various offices since before he was a mission president.

President Monson hoped that the picture of Christ would be in this picture. I didn't dare speak up and tell him that he was blocking the picture. I do love that it looks like the light of Christ is surrounding him. I did feel the love of my Savior as he told my grandmother that the Lord has a special love for widows.

Father's Day in October

I know it's October but Steve received his Father's day gift today. In June, I booked a "Canopy Tour" of Hocking Hills. I booked it for today - hoping that there would be nice fall weather and some color in the abundant trees we would be zipping through. My hopes were fulfilled and we had an awesome time. It is a bit pricey in my book. So we can't do it often. But if we could I would want to. And I want to take all my kids, friends and family.

There were 10 zip lines and several rope bridges.

13 Heroes

These are the latest heroes in my life. These are the cheerful, amazing teenagers I get to spend time with every day. They come to my house every school morning at 6am for seminary. We are studying the Book of Mormon this year. They are all in high school. Some have jobs. Some have lots of homework. Some have team practice and other activities for hours after school. Some have lots of responsibilities at home. All inspire me to try harder and be better.

Ohh?

Hannah has been to EFY , started high school and been to a few dances this summer. After every one of these events, she came home and told us of meeting boys. When the boys she met found out she was 14, they would often reply, "Ohhh" while nodding their head. We heard this story multiple time this summer. A few weeks ago, we were all at Barnes and Noble. Hannah and Eliza were both in the same area and Eliza heard a conversation between Hannah and an unknown boy. Eliza burst into laughter when the boy said "Ohhh" and admitted she didn't believe that it really happened the way Hannah said until she witnessed it.

Should I make her where a badge that says, "I'm only 14!" ?

This is a picture of Hannah with her cousin Nora (the only other Brown-Eyed Lange girl in the family).

Happy Birthday Mom!

My Mom is the best at a lot of things. Especially at everything that has to do with mail and wrapping presents. We all get birthday cards before our birthdays. Random packages arrive in the mail from her with just what you need. My favorite packages arrived while we were living in an apartment in South Pas. She would tuck rolls of quarters in whatever else she was sending to use for our laundry. Having to take two toddlers into the bank to get quarters was a chore. So when those quarters would arrive - I felt so understood and loved.

My first year at BYU, she asked me about a current event in the news. I knew nothing about it. The next day when I went to pick up the mail I was excited to find a new subscription to USA Today. I don't know who loved it more - me or my roommate Sara.

Mom is an expert package wrapper. Presents always look like a piece of art when she wraps them - She takes great care to make things (not just presents) beautiful. So I am sad to say that her card from me will probably be late and I can't think of the last time I wrapped her a present. I have to admit that my wrapping skills are not like hers. In fact - more than once I have allowed a mother at a birthday party to believe that my child wrapped the present and it was really me.

But I hope I have inherited some of her other great traits. Mostly, I hope that I can be the kind of friend that she is to others. Everyone could use someone like her in their lives. I know I am blessed. Happy Birthday Mom. I hope the card gets their soon.

Sad

In 10 days, Steve has had 1 hour with the kids. And this is where they spent it. They are sitting in his car parked in our garage while he is on a conference call. Sad.

So while I have been enduring life without my comic relief (Steve), dear friends told us that they are placing their house on the market and moving out of state. I won't name names. But I am still getting over the Woods moving. And they moved two years ago. I get teary thinking of our lives here without my children's Ohio-grandparents. So like this post says - I am sad. And I will probably wallow in it for a little while.

Golden Friendships

When your children are small, there is a great need for friendships that will help you survive those crazy thoughts you have. Like: "Why did I pray for this life with these children? Will I ever finish a meal and not have to clean up the floor and wipe down the chairs? Am I really meant for motherhood?"

I've been blessed with friends who remind me to find the joy in motherhood. Utah gave me the chance to meet up with some of these friends:

Tara. Tara was one of the first people we met in South Pasadena. Her daughter Morgan called my toddlers Hannahliza. She showed me the ropes of California living. She was the first person I knew that actually cooked polenta at home. When we lived by each other - she had a Disneyland pass and would sometimes go there for lunch. We worked together in Young Women and her sense of humor kept me sane as I was dragging my toddlers to every YW activity while my husband was in grad school.
This moment was a tender mercy. Steve and I were walking around BYU campus with Tanner. And I heard this lady say my name. I looked closer and it was Tara with her gorgeous children and Mom! We had not seen each other for 9 years.
Michelle. Michelle and I worked together. We were in the same ward. We were pregnant together. Our babies were born a few months apart. I think after I quit work, we talked to each other on the phone almost every morning. I have pictures of these cute girls wearing princess dresses playing in the sandbox together.  Michelle is an incredible seamstress and still sitting in our dress-up box, are two twirly skirts she made for my girls. The skirts were their favorite dress-ups because they were so fun to dance in.

There have been so many friends who have helped me through those rough spots of mothering. I know I have been blessed and I am still being blessed blessed with people (not all are mothers) in my life who help me be a better mom. To all of you - I say THANK YOU!

A Few of My favorite Things About Utah

Spending time with the Kimballs. Sara and I were roommates in College. Our parents were friends in college and we are hoping our children will be college roommates. We wish they lived closer. . . We were lucky enough to be in Salt Lake at the same time and spend a day together. We took our kids to the art museum at BYU. 
Spending time with the Caldwells. I remember when each of the Caldwell children were born and they remember when all of my kids were born. They have 3 girls and one boy and so do we. Stepping into their home for dinner was like we have never been apart. Catching up and watching all the kids play spoons was great fun. I wish we could do it more often!
Spending time with the Woods. We miss them in Ohio. Tanner could not stop giving Shelby hugs. We spent time at temple square with them and also at their home in Santaquin. I highly recommend the church art exhibit at the conference center. Tanner spent his time telling Shelby and her friend how he created each piece of art.  
Spending time with my parents and the Stringhams. Uncle Butch and Aunt Karen hosted a wonderful dinner for us and then we went to the stadium of fire on the 4th. I love to see all these girls together. The time was too short. And I wish I had a picture of Butch and Karen. 

Spending time with all the Langes. We hiked to Donut Falls. Went to the zoo on the busiest day of the year. Enjoyed spa services (in Amy's dining room). Rocked out to rock band. Analyzed the color of our personalities. And pondered where to meet in two years.  

My kids loved "living" with and down the street from cousins for the month. Their aunts and uncles are wonderful and we wish they had a daily influence on their lives. So we soaked up what we could and it will have to last for a little while. 

Lessons from My Father

My first economics lesson took place when I was about 10. I remember talking to my Dad about why everyone didn't have the same amount of money. I innocently asked why the government didn't just print enough money for everyone to be rich. 

I don't remember exactly what my Dad said, but I knew that it would be bad for the economy and that it would take away people's incentive to work hard and that would take away the good feelings of accomplishment we can get from working hard. I knew that it wouldn't work. The Econ section of my college American Heritage class also taught that printing money would not help an economy. 

So why is the US trying to fix our ailing economy by printing money? Oh I know, some people will say that is not what they are really doing. But it is what they are doing. And it is not going to work. Money will be spread around. Some people will be better off for a season. Obama will get votes from people he spread the money to. And instead of my innocent dream of everyone being rich - everyone will be poorer. Except for a few.  Thanks for the lesson Dad. I wish others had wise dads to listen to. And I wish more who do have wise dads would listen to them.

Super Powers

We have a new spiffy Target in town. It has a new layout that I am getting used to. Everything is still clean and if I HAVE to shop - it is my favorite place to go. Last night I took Tanner there to buy some new shoes. HE found the ONLY pair of spiderman tennis shoes in the whole store - in his size laying on the floor. I was hoping for something less powerful looking - like fake chucks. But wow! Was he ever excited about the spiderman shoes. I guess I only have a few more shoe buying trips where he will pick out super hero shoes (I hope.) So we put the shoes in the cart and we did a loop around the store towards the exit.

At the end of the food aisle is the frozen food section. Picture Lots of freezers with the see-through glass. And they are dark. Target is "green" and doesn't have the freezer lights on all the time. But Tanner notices that if he walks in front of them - the lights magically turn on.  He starts slowly, testing his "powers". Every time he steps into an aisle half of the lights brighten the cases of food. He steps further into the aisle and the remaining freezers are illuminated. He holds out his arms as if they have the power of Moses' staff or Harry Potter's wand. Luckily, we were the only ones in that corner of the store and he was able to light up the entire section. He was incredibly excited. I was laughing. I was wishing I could somehow take a picture of the whole experience. 

As we walked toward the registers to pay for his new shoes, he talked about his super powers. I felt kind of like a kid walking out of an elevator, having pushed all the buttons.

May Dance

Hannah came home from school one day in April, distraught over the plans for their "May Dance". She is on student council and was concerned about the lack of planning that was happening. She asked if I would join with some of the other Moms and help plan it and make it happen. The girls drew a picture of what they wanted the gym to look like and I am happy to report that we made it happen. I love the other moms that we worked with and the girls had a good time. Eliza didn't appreciate the 3 hours of decorating - but Tanner thought it was a party!

We made 6 of these lanterns. The girls mixed the cement with their hands. The paper lanterns were lit up with battery lights. The post is pvc pipe. 

Hannah and her friends

Eliza and her friends

My girls. 

I went over during the dance to help with concessions. Wow! There was a wide range of clothing there. It looked like the red carpet at a Hollywood awards show. There were dresses of all shapes and sizes. My girls looked gorgeous and I was thankful we were able to find cute modest dresses.  

Changes

The title would indicate something big. These are the big things happening at our house.

Eliza got a new "do".

It makes her look older and I am not sure how I feel about that. 

Hannah got her braces off.

Yahoo! Funny how the braces came off as soon as the last payment for them was made. . . Coincidence? I think not. Beautiful? Yes.

These two beauties are not written about much in my blog. When this was pointed out to me - I asked one of them about some recent events and asked if she would like me to write about them. She screamed and laughed "NO!" So I just want to publicly declare my love for these two incredible people in my life who I try not to embarrass.  They help me survive when Steve is gone. They make me laugh. They make me think. They amaze me with their kindness and their big brains. I hope they never question my love for them as they question why they are not written about in the blog. 

Song Gives Hope

We gotta be polite today

Surprise mom with a song for her birthday

We gotta do right for our family

We gotta be polite

This is the sweet little song Hannah and I heard while standing outside Tanner's room. He had been sent in there for being mean (hitting someone). We had to hide so that he wouldn't see us. The song kept going but this is all that I wrote down after we got caught and he stopped singing. 

It gives me hope that one day he will not think that hitting is an appropriate way to get girls attention.

This Made Me Laugh

Picture of the Month

My nephew in the Philippines.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way Home

This morning, Steve and I went to Perry OH. One of the girls that I love and adore, that I once worked with in Young Women, got married and had an open house there. It is 3 hours away. We decided to take Tanner with us. About half way up there - Tanner yelled, "Are we going to Grandma and Grandpa's?" (Last week we drove to Alabama.) He did well the rest of the way and had a great time with all the kids who were there. 

On the way home, Tanner informed us - that he needed a bathroom break. Steve stopped, filled the car with gas and then took Tanner into the bathroom. We got back on the road and drove for about 10 minutes. Tanner then, piped up in a panic and said,"I have to go to the bathroom again!" 

We were not close to a convenient exit - so Tanner waited and we found one. As we drove off the exit - Steve turned to me and asked, "So do you want to take him this time?" I burst into laughter. Let's see. 3 girls =10 years of me taking the children to the public restrooms EVERY TIME.

 I was still laughing when they got out of the car. I had to call my friend Jenny to share my funny story. I am still laughing. 

Easter Sunday

We had a wonderful Easter Day. After a dinner of "Easter Enchiladas" we got in the car and drove to the temple. A while ago, in a conversation with Tanner, we realized that he had never seen our temple. It is on the other side of town - and the only time we see it - is when we are going there. So Grace and Tanner do not ever see it. Our Stake President has challenged us all to have a temple experience with our families this month because the 10th anniversary of the Columbus temple is coming up. It was great to just walk around the grounds with them and talk a little bit about the temple and why it is so important to us. 

I am so thankful for the atonement and that our Father in Heaven is so loving that he has provided a way for everyone to have the blessings of the temple (joy, happiness and eternal families). I am often baffled by Christians who believe that if a person misses out on the gospel here in this life - there is no other chance for that person to attain eternal life. God is so incredibly merciful - his plan provides every possible opportunity to turn our hearts to Him. He want us to return to Him. I was reminded in Relief Society that He is not just sitting by the door waiting for us to open it. He is constantly knocking. Constantly beckoning. Ever searching. Wanting us home. Gathering us into His fold. But we must choose. He loves us enough to allow us to choose. 

I have a hard time allowing my children to choose. I am thankful my Father in Heaven has infinite wisdom and love for me and my family. I hope my children will all choose to be worthy to go inside the temple and enjoy all the blessing promised there. I hope that they will follow the Shepherd. 

Why Tanner is My Favorite Son

This morning Tanner said, "Mom you look like a teenager." I know - this is the boy who thinks "forever" is the length of time it takes us to walk through the grocery store and he is the same boy who more than once questioned if there was a baby in my tummy. 

But for five minutes I imagined that his perceptions are true and that I have the youthful appearance of the 18 year old that I sometimes feel like. And then I remembered that I am grateful that I am not a teenager. Between my own teenagers and my seminary kids, I am often reminded that I would never go back. Even if it meant I could have my 18 year old body back.

Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah!

There were lies told yesterday in Primary. And my children are responsible for them. 

Our primary presidency gave each family a spotlight sheet to fill out at the beginning of the year. One Sunday afternoon while Steve and I were napping ( I love our new early schedule!) my sweet children sat around the kitchen table and filled out the "Lange Family" spotlight. Here are some highlights:

Who are the people in your family?

Mom, Dad, H, E, G, T and a dead pet fish

Where are your favorite places to visit?

Alabama, Utah and Canada  (We have never been to Canada.)

What is a favorite family Christmas tradition?

Lighting the menorah (Do I need to explain? While we do believe in the miracle that the menorah represents, we don't have one in our home. . . )

What are your favorite things to do together as a family?

Go to separate rooms and watch TV. (To be honest - this is not a lie - we do enjoy TV and we don't usually all sit in the same room while watching it -- but do you think I would have put this down if I had been the one to fill this paper out??????  NO WAY!)

So when we read this together as a family we all laughed a lot and I tucked the paper away thinking I need to ask for a new one. So you can imagine my surprise when Grace told me we were the spotlight family. HMMM.  .  . I think Steve got a big chuckle out of this one. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Steve  told me today that I am complicated. (in a very loving way.) I don't appreciate flowers. I don't wear jewelry. And I am trying not to eat sweets. So I think special occasions are made difficult for him - in trying to find a gift that pleases. The easy gifts are not things I appreciate. 

However, as I explained to him, I love his everyday gifts. He does laundry. He irons his own shirts. He is a great father. He encourages me to do challenging things. He loves our children and he loves me. Not to mention that he provides for all of us financially and gives me the joy of being home. So flowers don't make me weak in the knees. And glittery jewelry is soooo tiny for the price. (I'd rather have new furniture.)

But my heart does beat faster when I hear the garage door open at the end of the day. And he is still my favorite person in the world to spend time with. So Happy Valentine's Day Babe. I am thankful that you give me precious gifts every day of the year.

Sound of Silence

So there is a woman of a questionable state of mind who has intentionally given birth to 8 babies. At first the media was in a frenzy. So excited about this news. Then they found out that this woman doesn't have a husband or the financial means to care for these babies.

People are questioning the ethics of the doctors. People are questioning her motives. She may appear on Oprah or other major networks for a fee. 

What I want to know is - Where are all the "women activist groups" to support her decision. If it was a woman who wanted to have 8 abortions and the media was criticizing her - there would be lines of women outside the hospital with signs of support. There would be women on the news talking about her rights to make decisions about her body. Because they think it is all about the woman - not the future of the babies. SO WHERE ARE THEY?

If you know me - you know where I stand on abortion. And I think this case makes my position even stronger. It IS all about the babies - Not about selfish women. The silence speaks volumes.

Snowdayy.! by Hannah

So as you can see we have gotten a lot of snow and ice. School got cancelled around ten last night and mom cancelled her seminary class around four yesterday. Grace had a sleep over last night also assuming we wouldn't have school. This morning I made cookies for breakfast, they were delicious. Above are just some of the pictures I took of the icicles. At least we have power today. 

 Okay so while I'm on I'll give you an update on me. This week i officially dropped out of band, because I wasnt planning on going to New York at Thanksgiving or to South Pas for the New Year when im a freshman. Wrestling season is almost over(I was a stat), I'm sad, but glad its over. Overall, I'm good, happy, enjoying 8th grade, and sick of snow. Story of my life. Love you all. 

-Hannah