1. December is Maddie's month! It started out with her Christmas dance review on the 5th. She did a really great job. She is quite a little dancer.


2. Madalyn made the most important decision of her life this month. She choose to be baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. We are so happy that she choose to make this important step in her life. I don't know whose crazy idea it was to have her baptism the day after her birthday... It all worked out despite the STRESS it caused! Why do I do this kind of stuff to myself?


3. After the baptism we had a family party at our house. She opened a few birthday presents from the family.


4. A long standing tradition at Grantsville Elementary is for the 3rd graders to preform the Nutcracker. Now this isn't your every day school program! We go all out and for weeks, literally, that's all we do. (Low test scores, who cares we have a cute Christmas program!) Well Nathan was my backstage helper while Adam did the filming for us. Note the outfit Nathan picked out. He came home from daycare and changed into his "handsome" outfit that he was determined to wear. It was hilariously not handsome! Oh well he's only 4 and he was backstage most of the time anyway.


5. This is Nathan and my nephew, Marcus after the baptism. I told the two of them to be really careful and spill the red punch all over my carpet (so I could get new) and they did it for me!!! Not bad enough to justify new carpet though, dang it! My new Rainbow vac got it right out, darn vacuum!


6. Some of the 3rd graders at the Nutcracker. We had 216 kids in it this year!


7. More of Maddie's dance recital. It's too bad she's so tall and always has to be at the back because the girls always watch her but it makes it kinda hard when she's in the back.


8. More family party. It's amazing how big our family room stretched out for the fam. We were a little nervous about space but didn't even use the living room, we all fit in the kitchen and the family room. Maybe it's like the story of the loaves and fishes. We had plenty of space and lots of food, despite my worrying about it. By the way the sandwich platters from Costco are super easy and yummy if you ever need to have a crowd.


9. For Maddie's friend party this year we decided to stop trying to pretend that she doesn't have a birthday 6 days before Christmas and embrace it. We had a Christmas Birthday Party. We decorated gingerbread houses and made Christmas bracelets. We had lots of fun. This cute girl with Maddie is Hannah McKeever. She is a sweet little girl!


10. Nathan got to visit with Santa after the dance recital.


11. This is how excited Maddie was when she opened up her present with her MP 3 player in it for her birthday. I think she likes it, what do you think?


12. More of the 3rd grade Nutcracker. I didn't say this, but this could be the very last year for this long standing tradition. 27 years!!!! is long enough, I think. We'll have to see what happens.


13. This center picture is obviously of us at Maddie's baptism. I still don't know why the camera made the picture blury like that, but I think it is a nice touch. Thanks to all of you who made the trek in the snow and bad weather. It made the day extra special for Madalyn. She will never forget her wonderful day. I pray she always remembers the commitment she made this day and always keeps those promises she made. I know she will always be truly happy if she keeps her membership sacred and continues to let her testimony grow. I have seen what can happen if you let satan take over. Please Maddie know that your Mom and Dad are very pleased and your Heavenly Father loves you very much and will never leave your side. Always be worthy of having the Holy Ghost with you because he will help you through anything. Mom loves you! Congrats again! Hold your testimony up high. I hope you always know that the church is true.
    

Anyone out there?

Is anyone out there? I have finally updated and nobody has commented in two days. Please tell me that someone has cared to at least look at my accomplishment? Thank you!

Here's our November 2008 in a nutshell... or a collage!

Center picture: We spent Thanksgiving in Jackson Hole Wyoming. This is us in front of the Idaho Falls temple on our way to Jackson. top left corner: 1. What fall would be complete without a few leaf raking pictures? 2. Maddie looking in the store window at a Christmas village. She was most concerned about a piece that wasn't working correctly. Does she have a little OCD or what? 3. Thanksgiving dinner at a wonderful resturant in Jackson. 4. In front of the famous Jackson Arch made from antlers. Do we look a little cold? We were FREEZING! It was like 7 degrees. We were waiting to see Santa arrive. (go down)5. A beautiful winter scene on one of Adam's mystery shopping trips. This one is in Roosevelt, Utah, out in the middle of nowhere~! 6. Adam and Nathan waiting for Santa in Jackson, freezing to death. 7. Me with two of my girlfriends that I teach with, Shelly and Leslie. We went out to eat on a Friday night and had lots of fun! 8. Maddie in front of the Idaho Falls Temple. We used this on her baptism announcements. 9. Nathan in the leaves. I encouraged his sister to do this to him, just for the picture of course! 10. The NASTY results from vacuuming with my new Rainbow vacuum. Isn't it gross?! I don't really have a dirty house it's just that good a vacuum. 11. All bundled up again waiting for Santa at Jackson. By the way, the others in the picture are my mom, stepdad and sister, Savanna. 12. A couple of great friends, Maddie and Edie. (Her mom is Lesile from above, a friend I teach with)

Wow I really did it! I also just looked at the clock and realized that I'd better get to bed since I have to go back to school early in the morning. I'll do the other collages tomorrow! Good night!

Okay, I've finally come up with a plan to catch up. I made a collage of the months of October, November and December. So here are the highlights of our month of October.
Starting in top left:
1. A cute cowgirl on Halloween. Maddie came up with the idea that they should be a cowboy and a cowgirl this year so I went along with it because it was very easy!
2. Since we live in the same town as both parents we get to see lots of family on holidays. This is the kids with Adam's mom.
3. A cute cowboy that's tired of pictures, but this shows his true personality! He's not fond of pictures. I get lots of the top of his head!
4. It's always been Adam's "job" to carve pumpkins with the kids. I sure don't mind because I hate the smell and feel of pumpkin guts!
5. Who knew it took so much concentration to carve pumpkins?
6. Cowboy and Cowgirl at Grandpa Bleazard's on Halloween.
7. My sister came down from Logan to take her girls trick-or-treating in good ol' Grantsville. Aren't they the cutest kids ever?
8. I love to decorate for the holiday, ANY holiday! I tied these metal spider webs to the curtain rod in my living room.
9. He grew it, picked it and now got to carve it. He couldn't be more proud of himself!
10. I'll tell you what I have the cutest nieces in the whole world. This is my brother's baby, Megan. She makes a pretty cute mermaid, doesn't she?
11. Nathan's daycare class decorated some cute little pumpkins for our local pumpkin walk.
12. Here is my beloved shelf. I look forward to decorating it differently every month or so. I take pictures so I can do it the same the next year but I have yet to follow it!
13. Another Grandma picture on Halloween. This grandma is my mom at her pharmacy here in town.
14. I thought these little witches that I make with my class looked so cute up there.
15. One more of my cute little Cowpokes!
16. An awesome event this month was Nathan finally writing his name for his teacher. Those in his class who could write their names got to go on a special field trip to McDonalds. He waited to do it until the very last day to show us that he really could do it. He has a bit of a stuborn streak in him, I don't know where he got it! :)
That's our October in a nutshell, I hope you enjoyed. This is kinda fun!

Okay, I am commited to figure this blogging out. Does anyone know if there is a book called "Blogging for Dumbies"? I would like to buy it. I will figure out how to make a collage for my highlights of October, November and December. Then for sure I am going to be better about keeping this up in January or I will just be done with it. Chalk it up to another thing I just don't have time to figure out. I love it though and I don't want to let it go. So if anyone knows how to make collages with several picts call me. I would love your help.

Help!!! Is there anybody out there? I am so stressed about this dumb blog. I can't even figure out how to make a cute background. I will, even if it kills me, figure it out while I am home for Christmas break. It may be at midnight the night before I go back to school but I WILL do it. I love that I don't have to go to bed tonight because I don't have to get up in the morning!!! I guess when has that ever stopped me? I stayed up until after 1 AM every night last week and then taught school all day the next day. Hmm, I wonder if that is why my class was soooooo naughty? Or it could have been the week before Christmas too. I'm sure my tiredness didn't help.:)