No!

Macey is still in love with the word “no”. She is very perceptive. Whenever she hears a question, whether it’s directed at her or not, she says, “No”.

Today in our Young Women’s class she was wandering around the room playing with toys and seeming like she wasn’t paying attention. Yet every time the teacher posed a question (“Will you please read that scripture?” “Can we follow Christ’s example?” “Shall we move on?”) Macey would answer, “No!” She didn’t even look up or miss a beat, she just said no. The girls cracked up every time.

Artist

Shaylin is still our resident artist. She got some new art supplies and a machine that knits for Christmas, so those have been keeping her very busy. She is really quite talented. She takes after her grandma not her parents.

She just bought a book from the Book Fair entitled How to Draw Nintendo Characters. Now we have beautiful pictures of Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Bowser all over our house. I love it!

Our Little Thespian. ☺

I never mentioned that before Christmas, Skyler’s school put on a big play called “Santa is Stuck in the 50’s”. It was cute. Skyler tried out for one of the three big parts in the play and he got it. He was a news reporter named Rock Brockman.



This blew our minds. This was so out of character for Skyler - to want to be on stage, to want to memorize lines, and to want to miss recesses to practice. It was all very uncharacteristic of him.

Well, as the play grew closer, we came to better understand Skyler’s motives. Apparently Rock Brockman didn’t have to sing any solos and he also avoided singing in the chorus. Rock didn’t have to dance or dress up like an elf. Rock also got to control all of the lighting, sound effects and curtains for the play. Now that sounded like Skyler.

Anyway, Skyler did a great job at his part. He remembered all of his lines, he spoke loud and clear, and he ran the electronics like a pro.

Questions

Sawyer is getting more and more aware of the color of people’s skin. It doesn’t seem to be an issue or concern, he is just more aware. He will use those adjectives to describe to people now (“She is nice and she is brown.”)

One night this week, Sawyer and I were reading books before bed and we started to talk about Jesus. Sawyer asked, “Momma, is Jesus Black like me?” I didn’t see that one coming. I didn’t know what to say. I just said, “Jesus was Jewish, so he was kind of brown, but on the inside He looks just like you.”

I remember that when we lived in Indianapolis there was an art gallery in the mall by our house. It always had paintings of Christ at different points in His life – the last supper, the crucifixion, the ascension, etc. – but in the paintings Christ was always Black.



I used to think that they were creepy. Now I want one. I guess what I really want is for my son to be able to relate to his Savior.

Sawyer opens my mind and teaches me something beautiful every single day.

P.S.

I had to show you these cute signs that my cousin painted for each of my kid's doors for Christmas. Aren't they cute? They match the colors and themes of their rooms. My kids LOVE them.

I thought that they would make fun gifts. Her website is http://tmatthewsfineart.blogspot.com. She's amazing.

Sledding

Skyler, Shaylin and Sawyer are all very into sledding this week. We found a beautiful spot in the mountains just a few minutes from our house that has some great sledding hills. All the kids want to do now is sled.

Skyler likes to go really fast with minimal bumps. Shaylin likes to go really slow and just enjoy the scenery. Macey likes to eat the snow on the way down. And Sawyer just likes to go!

As soon as we hiked to the top of the first hill, Sawyer ran and jumped on a sled and went flying down the mountain. None of us even realized that he had gone until we heard him screaming, “Oh yeah! Look out below!” Then we all watched in amazement as he ran right into a snow bank, and did a perfect front flip off the sled and landed face-first in the snow. I SO wish that I had that on video. It was so funny. Sawyer was back up the hill and sledding down again five minutes later. He loves it!

The kids are out of school tomorrow, so I bet you can guess what we are going to be doing. It should be fun, plus I don’t think that there is any better exercise in the world than hiking up a snowy mountain carrying your kids and all of their tubes.

Fear Factor

This week, we had a really fun youth activity at church. We played Fear Factor. We had three challenges:

1) a tricycle obstacle course (hilarious)



2) barefoot running races through the snow (the boy’s idea – of course)



3) eating chocolate-covered bugs



I ordered the bugs on the internet, and they really were chocolate-covered crickets and worms. The kids were so funny trying to get those down.

I had a few left over that I brought home. Skyler ate a cricket, but he had the hardest time swallowing. He just kept chewing and chewing it – crunch, crunch, crunch. Gross. Sawyer and Shaylin couldn’t do it. But while we were all laughing at Skyler, Macey grabbed a worm off of the counter and ate it. Sick.

Jason Update

Jason is doing great. The sweet dentist that he bought his practice from just retired. Jason really liked him and was sad to see him go, but he is excited about the changes that that brings. Jason now has another operatory and more staff available so he is seeing more patients at once, he is working Fridays, and he is treating all of the other dentist's patients too. He is busy.

Jason also stays busy at night because he is obsessed with keeping the deer out of our yard. The deer love to come on our property and eat our trees and bushes. So Jason is constantly hiding in those bushes waiting to shoot the deer with his paint gun.

I bet people are starting to wonder why all the deer in town are pink, green and orange.

Mine!

Macey has learned two new phrases, “Mine!” and “No, no, no!” (which she says while shaking her tiny finger at us). She loves these new words and uses then frequently. For example, if I take Daddy's razor away from her, she yells, “Mine! Mine!” While she colors on the wall, she says, “No, no, no”, with a big smile on her face. So naughty.

It’s a good thing that she’s cute.

Sunbeam

Last Sunday, Sawyer became a Sunbeam! He was very excited and proud to go to primary with Skyler and Shaylin. He wanted to make sure that he wore a tie and brought his own scriptures to church. He recited the first Article of Faith into the microphone, and he was thrilled that his new teacher brings treats. It was a good Sunday.

No School

This week was crazy. The kids finally went back to school on Tuesday after their long Christmas break. But then school was cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday because of all the snow that we have been getting. Then on Friday, Skyler and Shaylin missed school again because they came to Utah with me. So tomorrow is the 14th of January and they are finally going back to school. Isn’t that nuts? Skyler thinks that he has died and gone to heaven.

Scrapaway

I went to Utah because it was time again for my annual Scrapaway. I go with my old Spanish Fork ward and scrapbook, play games, and eat yummy food for three days. It really IS heaven.

There were about 40 of us there. I had so much fun laughing and playing with my old friends. Plus I got 112 scrapbook pages done!

We played games like "Love Your Neighbor" and found out who has a crush on Orlando Bloom, who has a tattoo, who is pregnant, who likes boy bands, who has flipped off another driver, who has tasted breast milk and whose husband has a hairy back. Hilarious.

While I was there, Skyler and Shaylin stayed with their Utah friends, Colten and Scottlynn. They had a ball. I am amazed that they have been able to stay so close to their Utah friends since we have moved. But I am thrilled. Those sweet friends are such good influences on Sky and Shay.

Jason's Post

(This is Jas.) While Britt was gone I played, in total, five hours of chase around the house, watched about ten hours of Spongebob, went sledding twice, ate a whole large pizza by myself in one sitting, did not burn down the house, and did not let any of the kids die.

All in all, I think anyone would call that a pretty successful weekend.

Christmas Eve

We celebrated Christmas early here so that we could get out to Utah on time.

Plus, as Skyler says, “Why does it matter if we celebrate Christ’s birth on Dec. 25th? He was born in April!”

Anyway, on our early Christmas Eve we had a fondue dinner and chocolate fountain. Delicious!



Then we opened our Christmas pajamas and read the Christmas story in Luke.



Then we had our annual family talent show. Skyler played the piano. Shaylin sang, and Sawyer sang and showed us how high he can jump. Macey walked.

That’s right… Macey can walk!!!

We went to tithing settlement with our Bishop, and right in the middle of his spiritual message we all started screaming because Macey was walking across the room. It was so cute and out of the blue. I think that Bishop Tanner liked that the first place that Macey walked was in his office.

Christmas Morning

Okay, back to Christmas. On Christmas morning, we made the kids line up youngest to oldest and walk into the front room to see what Santa had brought them. Macey walked VERY slowly and the kids were all dying behind her! It was great.

Everyone was thrilled with their presents. This is what we got:

Jason – a new truck (His Pathfinder died, so he got a Toyota Tundra. He is in love.)
Britt – a water softener (I know, very exciting)
Skyler – Super Mario Galaxy for Wii

Shaylin – a Robo Panda

Sawyer – a mini trampoline

Macey – a talking dog


We were all very excited.

We played with our presents until evening, and then we headed to Utah.

Travels

We spent a few days with the Smith and a few days with the Heiners. We had a ball.

Highlights include –
playing games,
talking and laughing for hours,
amazing food,
watching the kids play with their cousins,
making a video for my brother on a mission,
eating our weight in cookies,
getting my braces off ☺,
going to the Sevy party,
getting awesome gifts and
hearing the kids read their Uncle Blake memories.

It was a really fun week!

Back Home

When we came home, we brought Skyler’s friend, Colten, with us and Shaylin went to stay with Alanna. So the kids had a blast playing with friends/cousins for a few more days. They were in heaven.

On New Year’s Eve, we had two sets of missionaries over for dinner and fun. They played pool, emailed their families and got beat at Wii games by two ten-year-olds. We broke out the chocolate fountain again for them and watched them eat until their ties were covered in chocolate and they looked like they were going to puke. It was fun.



Now our family is all back together relaxing, playing games, watching movies and looking at the beautiful snow outside.



The kids have to go back to school on Tuesday, and I think it is going to kill them. We have had a seriously fun Christmas break.