Here's what I thought...

Year in Review Challenge

Here are the assignments:

December 1 Trip. What was your best trip in 2009?
We had a few great ones which is pretty unusual since we don't get to travel too often. Just the fact that we went somewhere makes me happy since traveling is one of my favorite things. I loved going to Texas for Christmas last year, I loved showing Miles Disneyland and the ocean in early 2009, I loved going to Sea World and Lego Land in spring to see my brother Scott, I had a weekend away to California with my parents and enjoyed the time with them, we took a trip to UT in the summer for a reunion and didn't want to come home...I think that's it. I think they all were great in their own ways. I have a hard time comparing travel spots since the act of traveling is what I enjoy, not the destination.

December 2 Restaurant moment. Share the best restaurant experience you had this year. Who was there? What made it amazing? What taste stands out in your mind?
Going to Olive Garden with the family and having an old lady come up after our meal and comment on how well behaved our kids were. I was pleased since we do make an effort to have them learn manners in public restaurants. Olive Garden to us is the fanciest, best food we go to as a family. Yummy!

December 3 Article. What's an article that you read that blew you away? That you shared with all your friends. That you Delicious'd and reference throughout the year.
I loved the first talk in General Conference this past October about spiritual guidance. It said to always follow your first promptings, before receiving more. I tend to mull things over too long instead of acting. Recently we were told at Stake Conference to 'act on every worthy thought." The idea of it has been circling around in my mind and I'm trying "act" on my promptings more in a straightaway fashion.

December 4 Book. What book - fiction or non - touched you? Where were you when you read it? Have you bought and given away multiple copies?
Well I joined a book club which makes me feel well read or at least better read in adult books. I am usually a childrens lit fanatic. Honestly, no book stands out as one I loved above the other.

December 5 Night out. Did you have a night out with friends or a loved one that rocked your world? Who was there? What was the highlight of the night?
Rocked my world? Who writes these things? Well, I did go see Lion King on a girls night this year with my sister, mom, and grandma which I thought was very fun. We ate chinese first, then went. I'd seen it before but it was fun to see my Grandma T's reaction.

December 6 Workshop or conference. Was there a conference or workshop you attended that was especially beneficial? Where was it? What did you learn?
I've been going to monthly workshops with the Ocotillo East Valley Reading Council and liked a lot of the presentations so far. They are a division of the Arizona Reading Association. I really paid attention to the one about chess in the classroom since Doug has wanted me to play for years and it seemed too hard for my brain. I was really catching on by the end of the workshop.

December 7 Blog find of the year. That gem of a blog you can't believe you didn't know about until this year.
I just started this blog thing this year and loved to explore my friends', and their friends', and their friends'. I wish more of my relatives would have one so I can glimpse into their lives from a far.

December 8 Moment of peace. An hour or a day or a week of solitude. What was the quality of your breath? The state of your mind? How did you get there?
My moment of peace happens on nights I don't work, the kids are in bed and I can take a bubble bath. President Hinckley once said that he liked to ponder the mysteries of life while soaking in a tub and so do I.

December 9 Challenge. Something that really made you grow this year. That made you go to your edge and then some. What made it the best challenge of the year for you?
The biggest challenge for me was my fourth pregnancy. WIth Louis, I was sicker, tired-er, intense nesting, and frequent anxiety attacks-all of which I'd never really had before. The labor and delivery was longer and harder than the others and I was back to work in a week. But...he is the sweetest and most perfect baby I've ever seen and so I forget about all that and feel grateful to be his mama.

December 10 Album of the year. What's rocking your world?
Seriously...what is with all this rocking your world business? As for an album, I liked the latest Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Lady Antebellum ones.

December 11 The best place. A coffee shop? A pub? A retreat center? A cubicle? A nook?
My best place is my home. I call it my heaven on earth. I just wish we had a little more wiggle room.

December 12 New food.

I've been trying all sorts of southern cooking recipes to treat my Texas man to some home cooking. I've almost sucdeeded a few times but mostly made good attempts.

December 13 What's the best change you made to the place you live?
We added a hot tub that is not being used yet but I can't wait till we do!

December 14 Rush. When did you get your best rush of the year?
Seeing Louis for the first time after 12 hours of labor.

December 15 Best packaging. Did your headphones come in a sweet case? See a bottle of tea in another country that stood off the shelves?
My mother in law does the best wrapping. Everyone always gets their own style of paper in a topic they like. We usually wrap things in towels or blankets around here.

December 16 Tea of the year. I can taste my favorite tea right now. What's yours?
I don't drink tea of any sort.

December 17 Word or phrase. A word that encapsulates your year. "2009 was _____."
Doug's year.

December 18 Shop. Online or offline, where did you spend most of your mad money this year?
Offline. I think most of my money is spent at Walmart on the necessities of life.

December 19 Car ride. What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?
Through the mountains to Utah. I love the passes with the meadows here and there, pine trees, snow on the mountain tops, cool air with windows down and green, green, green, green.

December 20 New person. She came into your life and turned it upside down. He went out of his way to provide incredible customer service. Who is your unsung hero of 2009?
My unsung hero has been Doug. I've been hard to live with and not as patient as I could be some of the time. He is always positive with me. I can honestly say he has only said kind words to me in the eleven years we've been married.

December 21 Project. What did you start this year that you're proud of?
I liked a collage I did for the family with all our new additions. The latest one didn't even have Miles on there. I also liked a photo panaramic collage I did for my mom and grandma of her farm.

December 22 Startup. What's a business that you found this year that you love? Who thought it up? What makes it special?
I have no idea. I haven't come across anything that was wonderful in business this year. Hmm... I'm stumped on this one.

December 23 Web tool. It came into your work flow this year and now you couldn't live without it. It has simplified or improved your online experience.
A wireless laptop. How have I lived without one for so long!

December 24 Learning experience. What was a lesson you learned this year that changed you?
That I enjoyed doing a 5K. I want to do many many more. It was fun and a challenge!

December 25 Gift. What's a gift you gave yourself this year that has kept on giving?
Cookware so I can continue to try new meals with the family.

December 26 Insight or aha! moment. What was your epiphany of the year?
My insight sounds kind of dumb but I noticed after watching Enchanted that men do like girls who are feminine: wear dresses, look nice, fix their hair, etc. Not that I don't do those things but I could probably look nicer when I am at home with the kids and show off my femininity more for my husband like nails, hair, dresses, etc.

December 27 Social web moment. Did you meet someone you used to only know from her blog? Did you discover Twitter?
I have been connecting with family and friends through facebook and hope to find more lost relatives that way.

December 28 Stationery. When you touch the paper, your heart melts. The ink flows from the pen. What was your stationery find of the year?
My heart doesn't melt because of paper. But I did like the letters Carter writes to our family. They are like little treasures.

December 29 Laugh. What was your biggest belly laugh of the year?
hmm.. not sure. I laugh a lot at what Haleigh and Carter say. They are very funny.

December 30 Ad. What advertisement made you think this year?
I really hate the anti drug ads. Every time I see one I get angry that they are using scare tactics and violent imagery to influence a young audience to not use drugs. I especially get mad when they are playing in afterschool hours or during prime time when children are known to watch TV. I don't want my small children seeing someone blacking out and then yelling at someone in a high-like state. I'm getting mad just thinking about it.

December 31 Resolution you wish you'd stuck with. (You know, there's always next year...)

Lose weight, say no more.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE DOING THIS ON YOUR BLOG AND I"LL LOOK IT UP. TRY IT. IT'S FUN AND DOESN't TAKE AS LONG AS YOU THINK IT WILL.

Christmas Excerpt...

Our ward party last night didn't have Santa at the end like usual and I for one thought it was a great idea. Instead they showed a video of Jesus's birth put to music. It was a perfect reminder of the reason for the season. I came across this while looking at news and thought I'd post an excerpt by Hugh Nibley...

"The modern Christmas is a quest by the world to find something it lost. "There is a nostalgic sadness about Christmas," Nibley wrote.

The modern Christmas is like a small light in the darkness. "It is evidence of things not seen," Nibley wrote. "It is not the real thing, but the expression of a wish."

It is a beautiful wish. An expression of hope. "A brief, brave show of generosity and cheer."

For Nibley, the world's attempt at Christmas, like the ancient celebrations, is indeed a "demonstration of man's capacity for enjoying good and sharing it."

But it is also something more -- something that he thought Mormons should help to remind the world. Christmas is about sharing and goodness, but it is also about mankind's "helplessness to supply it from his own resources."

The world desperately wants Christmas to mean something.

But, the "great blessings we seek at Christmas are not of our own making," Nibley wrote. The everyday world is already of "our own making." What the world really seeks, what it really needs, "must come from another world."

Nibley called this realization a "moment of lucidity" when life becomes clear. Christmas is the moment when the world, "caught off-guard," realizes it needs something more -- something real.

"'Scrooge the man of business' can never go back again after his Christmas fling -- however ashamed he may be of it in the cold light of day it is too late to deny that he has shown 'Scrooge the man of the world' to be but a mask and an illusion," Nibley wrote.

Christmas rips off the world's mask.

"So the Latter-day Saints have always been the greatest advocates of the Christmas spirit; nay, they have shocked and alarmed the world by insisting on recognizing as a real power what the world prefers to regard as pretty sentiment," Nibley wrote.
Christmas without Christ is a "hollow mockery."

"If men REALLY want what they say they do, we have it," Nibley wrote, "but faced with accepting a real Savior who has really spoken with men they draw back, nervous and ill at ease."

It is safer for the world to cling to tinsel and sentimentality, but Christmas still awakes a sense of possibilities. Those possibilities rankle, but have in them a latent hope, according to Nibley. "For by celebrating Christmas the world serves notice that it is still looking for the Gospel."

Playing with the baby

Dancing

Read This and Tell Me What You Think...

http://speeches.byu.edu/reader/reader.php?id=11394

For my Mormon friends...

THE 13 ARTICLES OF LDS CULTURE

1. We believe in SUVs and minivans, as the form of transportation, and in knee length shorts, which are always nice, and in multilevel marketing.

2. We believe that church ball players should be punished for their own fouls, and not for unsportsmanlike aggression.

3. We believe that through bread crumbs, cheese, creamy soups, and rice all casseroles can be saved through obedience to ward cookbooks and creativity in the mixing bowl.

4. We believe that the first layers and ingredients of Dip are: first, beans; second, cheese; third, chopped tomatoes; fourth, the gift of sour cream; fifth, olives; sixth, salsa; seventh, guacamole, that is, if you have it.

5. We believe that a Mormon should have a distinguished or a cute name,that it is appropriate to name a child after a church leader or a historical figure including an ancestor; that alternative spellings and French prefixes only add to a name, and that when referring to the names of General Authorities, middle initials should be a part thereof.

6. We believe in the same wall decor that exists in many Mormon homes, namely, framed family proclamations, vinyl lettering, inspirational word signs, family photos, pictures of temples and Jesus, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of the re-gift, church books, crafts, family photos, baked goods, emergency supply kits, and so forth.

8. We believe in sparkling grape juice so long as it is nonalcoholic; we also believe in bringing root beer and sprite to ward parties.

9. We believe in all that we have scrapbooked, all that we will now scrapbook, and we believe that we will yet scrapbook many great and important things pertaining to our family, friends, pets, and vacations.

10. We believe in the literal mixing of ketchup and mayo and in the generous application of ranch dressing; that CBAs (church-based acronyms)will be used to describe YM/YW, PEC, the Y, NCMO, and CTR; that Mitt Romney will get Mormons to vote for him any time he runs; and, that Mormonswill enjoy reading Twilight and The Work and the Glory.

11. We claim the privilege of trying to identify common acquaintances with any visitor at church, and allow all other people at church the same privilege, and let them name drop the names of famous and general authorities how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to scoutmasters, pampered chef hostesses, and the writers of the U.S. News and World Report Rankings for professional schools, and in obeying, honoring, and sustaining Glenn Beck.

13. We believe in being above average, good at crafts, optimistic, and being fifteen minutes late everywhere we go. Indeed, we may say that we follow BYU football. We believe rumors about famous people joining the church, we hope to meet the three Nephites, we have endured many pyramid schemes, and hope to be able to endure all pyramid schemes. If there is anything cheap, free, sold in bulk, or given away when somebody is moving, we seek after these things.

Wow!

Check out this dance! I just watched it on So You Think You Can Dance (taped I think from last week) and it was amazing. It seemed as if they're feet were completely silent. Watch it full screen for a better effect. Scroll down once you use this link for the video.

League of Extraordinary Dancers featuring Lil C and Jamile McGee – HD Video

This link has the preview for a new series found only online in 2010. Looks really good to me. What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/user/jonmchu

The Holidays have been fun so far. The kids were all costumed to their choice and we took a million photos, some of which are here. Haleigh had to be a princess and made Carter dance with her. He wasn't too happy about it. He has discovered Star Wars this year and loved his light saber. Miles was Woody and Louis was both a pumpkin and a bee at two different occasions. Every year I say we'll cut down on all the parties but again this year we went to five. Everyone is in the party mood. Next year I've decided to wear one since I usually don't. We sported Doug in an afro wig. He looked hilarious.

For Thanksgiving we spent time at Grandma and Grandpa Pierces house with relatives from out of town. We were missing only one family so it was quite a full house. There were 9 of the 11 grandchildren there, all under the age of 7. The little girls had a sleepover, the big girls went out to see New Moon, the boys went shopping, and food, food, food. We stayed up way past our bedtime laughing and talking. It was a fun time finished with the finale of Louis's blessing which will have to be another post. Can't wait for Christmas!

On your mark...

I am proud to say that I did my first 5K ever. It was really fun. Doug and I together tried the Gilbert days run. While there was much improvement left on our times for next time, I walk/ran it and even won a raffle at the end. I plan on signing up for the next one. It was fun to have an end goal and to feel the energy of the crowd. I could barely move for about a week since I just had the baby but it was "good pain."

Something new...

We tried something new for dinner last week. While we were eating "Kai Lan Chicken" named after a cartoon (but really stir fry) I introduced chopsticks. Very funny!

Rain Rain Don't Go Away

I came across these photos of Haleigh when she was given her first umbrella from Grandma Pierce. She couldn't wait to try it out with real rain so she waited and waited and waited and about 4 months later (That's AZ for you) it finally rained. Doug woke her up and got her out of bed to take a Daddy/Daughter walk in the rain with her not so new umbrella. Here are the pics.

Star Student

He wanted to look cool!

Carter was star student last week at school and had a great time. We'd been hearing about it for months before and the time finally arrived. We made a poster together which we thought was the best because it was interactive for the class to touch. We also did a cooking activity with them where Carter made his classmates mini pizza's and rootbeer floats. He loves to cook at home and often asks if he can make dinner. It was cute to see him setting up his classroom while they were at recess. He was very particular about making it just right.

Dancing Queen

Haleigh is very excited to have begun taking tap dancing and ballet classes. Tap is new for her so she wanted to share it with everyone. I love how she is a combination of shy and show off.

Saddle Up!

For Michelle's Dad's 60th birthday, each sibling gave him a coupon for an adventure sometime that year. We took him on his adventure in October and here are the pics from it.

Rodeo Recap including Our Horses Names

The Hat Trick by Haleigh