Merry Christmas!!

He Came!!
Kwint and I woke up early aroud 6 am.... We are both pretty sick. Still. We couldn't breathe to stay asleep. So, we waited for the boys to wake up. We waited and waited... showered, ate, read scriptures, watched half of a movie... Really? When we were kids we both remember waking up at 3 am and being told by our parents we had to wait until at least 6 to get up. Then we would get up every half hour or so to ask if it was 6am yet. Not these boys. Around 8 am Kaeleb woke up and sauntered down. He looked at all the presents and said nothing. We said "Kaeleb, look! Santa came!" We showed him the cookie crumbs....We showed him the apple core remains the reindeer left on the back porch...
And then he started smiling. He begged to open his presents. We told him he had to wait for Brennan to wake up. Tick, tock, tick, tock. He ate a bowl of Cheerios. He watched a TV show. Got dressed. Combed his hair. Tick, tock, tick, tock.... Finally at 9 am we let him investigate his stocking.
A few minutes later Brennan came downstairs looking very sleepy. He is pretty sick, as well, but not sick enough to ignore the sight before his eyes. He ran from place to place investigating and then started grabbing presents that had his name on them, ready to rip into them. We suggested he start with his stocking... Both boys were so excited that Santa put spin-toothbrushes in their stockings.
Then we took turns (sort of) opening gifts. Here are a few of the favorite items received... Legos!! Brennan lucked out and got Lego Star Wars from Santa and Uncle Gerritt & Aunt Melissa. Kaeleb got Harry Potter Lego sets from the same two sources. I love themed Christmases. I couldn't have planned it better myself. ;)
Playmobil! Oh, how we love Playmobil at our house! Kaeleb got a giant dragon and a wolf knight and Brennan got a castle with a mini dragon and a knight with a horse. We love putting them together and creating great battle scenes. These will go well with the knights and pirates we already had.
Here they are with their favorite items: The giant dragon and the green knight who sits on the green dragon.
Grandma DeAnn bought the boys and their cousin Talan matching pirate shirts. They were so happy! The shirt says "Shake Your Booty" I love it.
Grandpa Tom gave them matching sword & shield sets. Oh, for joy!! Especially since mean Mom told them they had enough swords and couldn't ask Santa for any weapons. Grandpa always comes through with the goods! What are Grandpa's for if not to spoil their grandsons?
Kwint gave me some nice clothes and this jewelry set, which I always love, and his mom gave me a food processor so I can lazily chop & grate all my veggies & cheese from now on. YES! My mom made us a new afghan which is beautiful and exactly matches our couch pillows.
I didn't take enough pictures and none of Kwint who felt too sick to want to be in them anyway, but he got a new TV from me and his parents and a few other trinkets he was amused with. We missed the family breakfast (didn't want to share our germs) and we didn't feel good enough to do anything except watch movies-- luckily we got 3 new movies to keep us busy all day-- but we learned that the simplicity of Christmas was all we really needed to feel the joy of the season. We have each other, and we have our testimonies of the Christ child, and that is what matters most on this special day.

Now, if we can get better, we have a whole week of family fun ahead!

Daddy's Birthday & Christmas Eve

Oh, Santa...
"I just can't wait for you to come... and I've got cookies..." (Veggie Tales Christmas Spectacular)But first, Happy Birthday to Dad!

We have had a very interesting holiday thus far. We are sick. Very sick. We think we may have the flu, or something like unto it, with a bit of a bacterial twist as certain symptoms, but not all symptoms, have responded to a good ol' Z-pac. It started two weeks ago when Kaeleb got the gunk, then passed it to Brennan, then on to Kwint and me, then Kaeleb again with a fever and the gunk, then me with a fever and gunk, then Kwint again, and Brennan again. We had 3 parties in a row planned for this week... and canceled.

Last night we thought we were on the mend so we decided to go to Kwint's parents to celebrate his birthday. We'd had to cancel a party with our friends, so we were sad and wanted to do something fun. And it was...


This was everyone's favorite-- an authentic imitation Star Wars light saber.
We settled in to watch a Christmas carol when my fever set in. It was a miserable night and when we woke up this morning we knew we'd better just head home and hunker down, missing the family Christmas Eve dinner.

But first, we let the boys open a present each-- the ones they picked out and purchased with their allowance money for each other. Brenny bought Kaeleb a blue basketball,
and Kaeleb bought Brennan a lego airplane set. They were both so happy and thankful to each other. This will be a good tradition. :)
Then, we hit the road at just the right time to see SANTA himself, driving a tractor down Main Street in Layton. I suppose the sleigh is getting the pre-Christmas tune up. Awesome!!
Upon our arrival at home, we put on our Christmas jammies,
and after watching several old Christmas movies on TV while blowing our noses, we drank the ceremonial hot cocoa and toasted to our good health, which we hope returns by morning, and read Luke II before retiring early to bed.

We set out the cookies, and an apple for the reindeer (Brennan heard that they like to eat apples, core and all) and then Kaeleb said "Mom, I think we should leave a present for Santa. I thought it was so kind of him... but what would we leave? He looked all around and decided on two kit kat bars. He wrote a note that said "Dear Santa, I want you to have this." Next year we will have to plan a purchase for Santa. I think he gets enough sweets on Christmas Eve, don't you?

As he was falling asleep Brennan, who asked Santa to bring Playmobil knight sets, said "Mom, if Santa brings me playmobil, I hope he brings a princess so you can be her." Oh, Santa....

Let it Snow!

The First Snow!

Right around Thanksgiving we had our first snow... (Not counting the time it snowed for a day in October). We were pretty excited! Then, sadly, it melted and warmed up for nearly all of December. "Strange weather for Heber," we thought. We were under the impression that we would be snowed in from October to April.... We were beginning to feel frustrated. After all, we waited 7 years in the desert for a White Christmas and were wondering if we would be jipped.

And then we woke up this morning....

The Real Snow.

I was planning on cleaning my house this morning. The toilets haven't been scrubbed for almost 2 weeks-- you who know me well will be shocked-- it is vile, I agree. Unfortunately, I spent the ENTIRE morning shoveling the driveway so I could drive to Kaeleb's school Christmas party after lunch. The snow you see here is all after Kwint shoveled his way out of two feet of snow on the driveway before work. The worst of it was that when the city plowed our street they pushed all the snow into a pile blocking the driveway. So, while the road was nicely plowed, I had no way of GETTING TO IT. I dug myself a crevice just big enough to slide my car through. Don't misread me though, WE LOVE IT!! We bought a little snowboard and both boys have amazed us with their mad skills on the slopes. (The park by our house has a 10 foot slope they have mastered!) We also love how pretty the Winter Wonderland is!

This is a fun little pizza place in Midway... It was a happy night & I just want to remember it. :)

Here is still tiny but ever growing niece, Baby Gracie with her big sis Bailee. What a cute baby! We went to see the girls dance in their Christmas program and loved it. I am so happy to have nieces!! I get my fill of girly things amidst all the pirates, knights, and dinosaurs at my house.

December..... where did you go???

This month has been a flurry already. I don't want it to pass me by without cataloging a few events.

Hmmm..... Well, the flurry left me blank.

First of all, the snow melted. It has been a very warm December and we are feeling a bit jipped. We waited 7 years for a white Christmas and will not be satisfied with anything less.

Midway does a Nativity set show. We saw hundreds of different Nativity sets from all around the world. I took about a hundred pictures. I will post some soon when I am not too lazy to go downstairs and get my camera.

Kwint's dad had hip replacement surgery a week ago, so we have been down to visit, assist, and cheer him up a few times.

I sang "Mary, Did You Know" for our RS Christmas party last night. It was a very neat experience-- There were 6 women who portrayed Mary's mother, Joseph's mother, the Innkeepers wife, a shepherd's wife, Elizabeth, and Mary. There were 3 musical numbers including mine, Breath of Heaven (love it) and Mary's Lullaby (not the Primary song, but the "you are a king, but tonight you are mine," one, which is gorgeous.) The whole program was based around the testimonies of these women that the baby Jesus was their promised Messiah and the musical numbers were so powerful. I was very thankful to have participated.

The boys have been sick yet again and that means.... NO SLEEP FOR MOM. (And not much for dad, either.) Wednesday Brennan woke up at 3am with a fever and wouldn't go back to sleep until 11am. Just when I thought I would get my own nap, the phone rang and a timid little Kaeleb voice said, "Mom? I just barfed in the lunchroom." Fun times. So, I packed Brenny up in a blanket in his PJ's with bedhead and went to pick him up. At least I didn't have to clean it up!!

Kaeleb came home yesterday all excited because Santa visited them at school. He gave them goody bags and they got to sit on his lap. I was very proud of Kaeleb-- he came home and voluntarily split his goody bag in half with Brennan. Atta boy!

Brennan and I had a cute conversation this week. Over lunch he asked "Where is Daddy?" I said "He's at work in Park City." He asked why he wasn't working at home. I answered that there were people he needed to meet with in PC. He asked "Do they have problems?" I said "Yes, and Daddy helps them decide what to do about their problems." He replied, "Yeah, he helps them get rid of their gratitudes." (attitudes) It was so funny!

Next week is a big party week, beginning with Kaeleb's class party on Tuesday afternoon. I am in charge of a gingerbread story and house project, which I am very excited about. I have decided that I really like kids. Not that I didn't before, but I am loving my nursery calling and volunteering so much!! Maybe having children opens our eyes to just how cute they really are.

So, the big day is 8 days away.... 8 days with at least 5 parties. Get ready for fun!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This Thanksgiving was a happy, almost week long event for the Kemp Family. We went to St. George this year, to celebrate the holiday at Kwint's sister's home. His parents and Great-Aunt Marie also came down. We had planned on driving down on Wednesday morning, but on Monday we watched the 5 o'clock weather report, which promised a blizzard for Tuesday and Wednesday. When we heard the weatherman say driving conditions would be treacherous and dangerous we decided to head down that night. It was either Monday night or not at all! Kwint worked all day on Tuesday doing phone and Skype sessions, and then the party started.

While he worked the boys and I went to Walmart to buy everything I forgot in our hasty departure. They embarrassed me for a full 40 minutes by chanting, in unison, at the top of their lungs "CHEESEBALLS...ha ha ha! CHEESEBALLS...ha ha ha! CHEESEBALLS... ha ha ha!" I have never been so stared at! People were either glaring at me, laughing at them, or shaking their heads in disgust. I am sure the whole store could hear, no matter where they went.

That afternoon we visited a few friends in the neighborhood. It felt so good to see everyone! I wish I could have seen more friends, but the family stuff started and we got crazy busy. It made me realize just how homesick I have been. Then I saw a cockroach in the bathroom and I remembered how much I love Heber.

Kaeleb missed the big Thanksgiving party at school on Tuesday, and was DEVASTATED. It was a Pow Wow with Indians and Pilgrims. So, on Wednesday, after a full day of shopping, we had our own Pow Wow. Everyone pitched in to help make it special for Kaeleb. We made colorful Indian necklaces...
Headresses...

Bows and arrows...
Bonnets...
And ate rotisserie chicken & spice cake, which seemed appropriate for the Pow Wow without being the same as what we would have on Thursday.
It was super fun. Grandma made a big map with a story drawn on it of two Indian brothers who went on a Turkey hunt to save their people from starvation and earned their true names (as pictured above). She is so creative and really made this a fun night for the boys.

Thursday we enjoyed our feast at Tam's. I thought the table was so beautiful that I had to get a picture of it before we spilled juice and gravy all over it.
These guys were excited to eat, as were we all.
Our wonderful Pa and Ma... We love them so!
We watched a lot of movies during the rest of the weekend, including Megamind at the theater on Thanksgiving, which was so funny!! Kaeleb laughed so hard that most people were laughing more at him than they were at the movie. We also did a little more shopping before heading home on Saturday.

Now the blur that is December begins.....

Family PIctures

Here are a few of the family pics we had taken last week... stay tuned for me to finally have time to blog about Thanksgiving before Christmas arrives....