Family Tree Wall Hanging

I just thought I'd share what I found on this cute blog I ran across a few months ago. Her name is Erin, and she is very creative, and one craft I liked that she made was a family tree. She put links on her blog for the templates to make it, and I had fun doing some of these for family this year for Christmas. If you want to check out how she made them on her blog, here's the link:
http://suttongrace.blogspot.com/2009/09/family-tree-templates.html.

And here's my finished product (before writing the names on the trunk and leaves). This is a 16x16 frame I found at Michael's. I found all the craft paper for it at Michael's, too.

Christmas 2009

Merry Christmas! What a fun weekend! We spent it at Grandma and Grandpa Price's house. Santa found us, the kids were glad to know. Our little family slept in a bedroom that has a lava lamp-type colored electricity lamp, which we kept on all night for a night light. It made some faint sizzle or ringing sounds from the little currents glowing around in it, and when Kortney woke up on Christmas morning, she told Neil, "Daddy! I heard Santa's jingle bells all night!" They loved their presents, acting out the nativity, sharing Christmas songs, hanging out with cousins, sledding, playing the wii, eating whatever they wanted most of the weekend, and staying up late both nights we were there. We got home Saturday night so we could get to church by 9:00 this morning - the LAST time this year that we'll have to wake up that early for church! I'm so excited to move to 11:00 next week!

The girls after they found their stockings.

Cousin Jayden with Great-Grandpa Price.

Cousin Lucas with Rhett in their new Christmas outfits.

Christmas Spirit

My friend emailed this to me, so I thought I'd share. It brought out a few tears, but what doesn't these days, I guess?

Emmrie Turned 3!

We celebrated Emmrie's third birthday at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and had lots of fun. Aunt Alanna had a cake all ready for her, we sledded in the snow, drank hot chocolate, ate homemade doughnuts, played the wii, got out all Grandma's toys, and opened presents. And I forgot my camera. But, at least we got her portraits taken! Happy birthday, smiley girl! We love you!

The funniest part of the day (for me, at least) was "the challenge" that Neil's dad created for Neil and his brother, Marc, and then for Kortney. He's famous for making up challenges involving food and money. He usually waits till everyone is full from a meal, then he'll offer some unsuspecting person some crazy amount of money, or something he knows they really want (and he's good at knowing what each of us likes), to do something like eat the rest of the food on the table, eat something covered in habanero sauce, eat saurkraut, or to eat any other edible, disgusting thing he can find. It's so funny to watch when it's someone else taking on the challenge, and we all keep encouraging the one who's trying to earn the prize. If they can't complete his challenge, sometimes he'll offer it to someone else. But we can't ASK for him to offer us something. He does it on his own.

Okay, so back to this birthday-day "challenge". He offered Neil and Marc money, in increments like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire", only starting at $2, then $4, then $8, then $16, etc. They had to eat whatever he put in front of them at each increment. Simple enough, right? The boys didn't even make it to $8. Wusses. So he got Kortney. Thankfully (Well, maybe sadly) she doesn't fully understand the concept of money, because she could've earned a lot! He offered her $2 to eat a green olive. That was tough, but she braved it. Oh, and just like the game show, she had to get to $8 before she could walk away and keep anything. She told me she only wanted to go to $8, and then she would be done. So I kept encouraging her to go on and on. And all this time she thought she was going to get the same kind of gross stuff that he had given Marc and Neil. Next, she ate a chip with pesto sauce on it. You have to understand - Kortney is a looks person. If it doesn't look right, she automatically thinks it's nasty. So this is why this challenge was such a challenge for her. 15,000 mouse-bites later, she earned $4. Then he gave her a spoonful of cider vinegar. She dipped her finger in again and again, but wouldn't do more than that. So she stopped, but he gave her another chance. He gave her a chip with steak sauce on it. He didn't show her the bottle, so she thought it was habanero sauce, but after dipping her finger lots of times, she realized it was just a little spicy, and nibbled it gone. That earned her the $8 she needed to stop. She was so proud - and said she was done. But Grandpa and I told her that she could earn $16 with the next one! It took some convincing, but she continued. She drank a spoonful of pure lemon juice for $16, and we again convinced her to keep going. He brought her a spoonful of molasses, and she slowly ate it to earn a total of $32. We couldn't convince her to go on to $64. Grandpa wrote out a check right there, and when we got home, we put it into her account. Of course, we'll have another lesson on tithing, which she looks forward to paying. Thanks, Grandpa, and way to go, Kortney! It was fun.

Christmas Music Video--Do You Have Room for the Savior?

Just found this on my cousin's Facebook and loved it. Merry Christmas!

Oh, the Weather Outside is...

DANG cold! It's been too cold for the school kids to even have recess outside this whole week. Those must be some stir-crazy kids and frazzled teachers! I guess the high today was 9 degrees? Yeah.
You know, it used to be kind of fun looking forward to winter. It was new and exciting to me, and usually the first month of snow was beautiful and kind of cozy-feeling. Now I just dread it, just about as much as I dreaded the beginning of summer in AZ. But thankfully the kids still look forward to snow, and I can't get them out of it until they lose all feeling in their fingers and toes.
Neil finally decided (or had time) to put up the Christmas lights the other night, but called it quits halfway through when he almost fell off the slippery roof for the third or fourth time. I called it quits long before (and I was only supervising from the ground), with four crying, booger-nosed, frost-bitten children in tow. Here they were in their happier state. It's a long, long time till June when we can almost guarantee warm weather...

Red cheeks and noses

He stumbled and fell way too many times, but kept getting back up.

Putting up the lights with his spelunking flashlight.

The Poem

I've become somewhat of a poet, I guess. Okay, not really, but this is the poem I wrote to surprise Neil for his birthday back in October. Hope you get a kick out of it.

To Neil

Happy birthday to you, you big stud of a man!
(I sure like to tell you all that, ‘cause I can.)

To the bestest darn husband a girl’s ever had
(And not only that, but to one awesome dad):

You’re my very best friend, my teacher, my rock.
You’re a great punching bag, wrestling coach, stumbling block.

I love your work ethic, and strong dedication
To family, to scouting, to gospel education.

You’re fun to hang out with, to laugh with, to hug,
To have a great talk with, to drive with, to bug.

You know how to cheer me when I’m feeling sad;
You know how to pester me lots when I’m mad.

You’re likeable, giving, and so easy-going,
When I am so hard-headed, stubborn and boring.

Thanks for your friendship, your strength and your love,
Your example of patience I’ve seen so much of.

So, now that you’re 31, what can you say
Of your family? Your future? Your life till today?

As a husband, a scout leader, employee and son,
As a brother and neighbor, you’re THE #1.

And, of course, as a father, you know where you stand.
Even when, sometimes, things just don’t go as we planned.

You have four small children you love and adore.
What else could you want? Well, how ‘bout one more?

Rhett’s such a sweet baby, but what if, real soon,
He wasn’t the baby – by say sometime in June?

Wow! All of a sudden 31 feels real old.
But things have a reason, or so we are told.

I guess this is all part of Heavenly Father’s plan.
Happy birthday to you, you big stud of a man!

Love, Tandee