The day after the snowstorm, the kids headed outside to build a snowman and have a snowball fight. Savannah even made a snow angel.
The kids had a much more enjoyable time playing in the snow when they didn't have any of it blowing in their faces. Our kitties, on the other hand, didn't have that much fun.
It's being called the Blizzard of 2009 and we were smack dab in the middle of it. We woke up Saturday morning to about 6 inches of snow and it continued snowing throughout the day.
The kids were dying to go out in the snow despite my warnings of "playing in a blizzard is NOT fun". But they all got dressed in what they thought were warm clothes and after I added some scarves, gloves, and coats to their outfits, out they headed.
Xander, ever so helpful, grabbed his little plastic shovel to help David shovel the snow.
Noah folded first. After about 15 minutes, he had had enough. His nose was running all over the place, his nose and cheeks were bright red, and he was soaked from head to toe. The other kids soon followed. I promised them that it would be much more fun to play in it once it stopped snowing. The snow continued to fall the rest of the day and by the time we went to bed, it had reached about 2 feet. Amazing!
One afternoon in late August, Savannah was sitting by herself in the backyard when she was surprised to see a cat come out of the woods. The cat came near her but not close enough for her to pet. The cat was on the smaller side and definitely thin. Savannah came and told me about the cat so we opened a can of tuna...and found ourselves the adoptive family of not just this cat but two kittens as well. Over the next few days this mother cat continued to come to us for food which we willingly and, on the kids part, eagerly gave. We didn't see much of the kittens; they were no more than 7 or 8 weeks and extremely skittish. 
We could tell that the mother cat had probably once been owned by someone because, although wary of us, we could very slowly approach her and she would let us pet her. We started leaving her food up on our deck and laid a towel out for her to sleep on which she did. Most mornings we would find the kitties snuggled next to her on the blanket but as soon as we would open the door, those kitties would take off like little rockets. Some times they even jumped right off the deck to the ground below if we stood too close to the stairs.
Eventually the kitties got to an age where their mother decided it was time to ditch them. Off she went into the woods, never to return...but the kittens remained. It is now mid-December, almost 4 months that we have had these cats. In that time, Savannah has spent hours outside with them, gaining their trust and affection. I didn't think they could ever be tamed, being feral cats, but Savannah has succeeded. When Savannah goes outside, they go running to her; they rub up against her for pets and kisses. Do they allow any of the rest of us to come near them? NO! 
Savannah, the cat whisperer.
Today I attended a very beautiful funeral service. A friend of ours was due to deliver her baby this next Sunday but last Sunday they received the terrible news that the baby had passed away. With great sorrow in my heart, I watched this beautiful family today gather to say farewell to this little child that they won't have with them for this earthly journey. So many people in this world would be crushed, devastated by this kind of a trial. Although the pain and anguish is there for this family, the mother said to me this afternoon, "God is good." And she is right. Yes, the sorrow and the grief is there and will be for a long time but they know who to turn to for comfort and strength. Our friends' faith and courage through this loss in their lives amazes me. As I stood at the gravesite and looked at this tiny casket, I couldn't help but think of another baby, born long ago in Bethlehem. Because of him, this family will be able to have their beautiful daughter with them again; families truly can be together forever.
I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of Heavenly Father's plan of happiness for his children. When trials and hardships such as this one come our way, we can know that it is but for a small moment. Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered all so that we can attain the greatest happiness and joy. No words can express the gratitude and love I have for my Savior and all that he has done for me.
This family was a witness to me today of the beautiful promises of our Heavenly Father and my testimony has been strengthened by their faith and love.
The kids absolutely love when I get out the Christmas decorations...on go the Santa hats and stockings!
And of course riding in "Santa's sleigh" is another highlight.
While I decorate, the kids pour over all the Christmas books that have been packed away for the year.
But the favorite part of decorating for Christmas is picking out the tree and then hanging all the fun decorations. Each year I take the kids to Michaels to pick out an ornament and we mark the back with their name and year. Once they have found all their own ornaments from Christmases past, the hanging begins. 
We definitely have a kids' tree...check out all the ornaments at the bottom. David and I had to rearrange a few just to lighten the load of the lower branches!
Yep! On Saturday we got our first snow and I was the only one not thrilled about it. It seems much too early for snow. 
Thankfully it stopped later Saturday night and most of it is gone by today...but I hear there's more headed our way. Savannah and Xander are hoping to get more next time so they can build a snowman. AHHHH!!! I am NOT a winter person!
Yay! David is finally back from Florida so I can now update my blog. We headed to Cincinnati to spend Thanksgiving with my parents, something we haven't done since David and I have been married. Usually my parents celebrate the holiday in California but decided to stay home this year. Lucky me! Two of my sisters, Kelly, and my sister Heidi and her family, also came out so it really was a holiday spent with family. We got there Wednesday afternoon and within the first hour of being there, Xander fell in my parents' pond...that's a new one! (Obviously he wasn't too happy about me recording the moment for posterity.)
And on Saturday it was Noah's turn!
But the pond-falling moments aside, probably the biggest excitement of our trip was new baby Kellan. Oh, what a cute little guy he is. Savannah loved holding him and giving him kisses but I think I even outdid her...that little guy just captured my heart. I never got tired of holding him.
The most upsetting moment of the weekend? Probably watching my Utes lose to those dang BYU cougars and having my dad fly his HUGE BYU flag out front for the game. 
Thanksgiving itself was fabulous. My dad prepares the most wonderful turkey and he cooks it during the night so that when we wake up Thanksgiving morning, we wake up to the delicious aroma of cooked turkey and can dig in right away. 
Noah loved hanging out with my dad and kept calling him "Grandma". My dad worked on it with him so that by the end of the trip Noah was correctly calling him "GrandPA", with the emphasis on the "pa".
A special moment of the visit was on Saturday when little Kellan was blessed in my parents' home. Ryan's parents and sister were able to be there as well. It was a truly beautiful blessing for a very special little boy.
It was too short of a visit but well worth the long drive. We had such a great time visiting, eating, laughing, and spending time together.
