Christmas List

1. Christmas was great this year, as usual. It always goes by much too quickly, and I'm left thinking, "Now what?". Until the kids go back to school, I'm afraid the answer is, NOTHING - I don't have any motivation to do anything at all. But once they go back, and we're back into our routine, I'll get up and be a productive member of society again:)

2. One of my friends did a cookie exchange - I love those. I, of course, had to make gingerbread men, and I made some "kissies" (as JT fondly calls them). This is a small sample of the results of our exchange, complete with some MARVELous sugar cookies, hehehe:)

Unfortunately, this is also the result of our cookie exchange.

I love the making part, but not so much the cleaning up after part.

3. Continuing our tradition, we made two new ornaments for our tree this year. Beaded Candy Canes

And Clothespin Reindeer

4. And speaking of our tree, we got a new one this year. I like it

I'm tempted to leave it up longer than is socially acceptable.

5. The kids posing for another tradition - picture with the Stockings on Christmas morning.

6. We have accidently started another Christmas tradition - I'm not even sure when or how it got started. Our Christmas dinner/lunch is really more like a holiday party buffet (as opposed to a traditional sit-down meal like we have at Thanksgiving), and we snack on it all day long. We have a turkey and cheesy potatoes, homemade bread, a shrimp ring, a meat and cheese tray with crackers, seven layer dip, spinach artichoke dip, and pico de gallo with chips, and other various finger foods and desserts. It works for us.

7. Alex got Mr. Potato Head for Christmas (his new obsessions are Toy Story 1, 2, and 3). He came up with this creation using the orange he got in his Christmas stocking.

I can't help but think he got the idea from Toy Story 3.

8. Madelyn had requested EVERYTHING Barbie for Christmas. Although she got a few Barbie things, she did not get the wished-for Barbie car. However, Cora got a small car for her Polly Pockets, and when Madelyn saw her open it up, she said, "Hey, that's what I ordered." She wasn't upset about it, but was just making an observation. It has us laughing for awhile.

9. We got a beautiful snowfall a couple of days after Christmas. The kids have loved playing in it.

Even though the snow makes me want to hybernate for the winter, cuddled up in a cozy blanket sipping hot cocoa, I HAVE to take the kids out in it for awhile. I remember having so much fun playing in the snow as a kid, going sledding with my Dad - I just can't rob them of that:)

10. I've been watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, and I'm so thankful for their messages. If you haven't seen it already, you should. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

If We Emulated Santa Claus...

A couple of years ago I did this post on Santa Claus. I really do love the tradition of Santa Claus. Not the commercialized version, which pretty much replaces a Christ-centered Christmas with a winter holiday all about getting stuff - I don't think that's what Santa Claus was ever supposed to be about. I love this quote from James E. Faust (from the First Presidency Christmas devotional in 1998):



"No one can measure the effect of an unselfish act of kindness. By small, simple things great things do indeed come to pass. Of course, gifts given and gifts received make Christmas special. For many children Christmas Eve is a very long night as they look forward with eager anticipation to the gifts Santa brings, which is why children love Santa Claus. Let me share what someone once said about Santa Claus: First of all, he's a joyous individual... Next, Santa Claus is interested in making others happy. He increases the happy moments in the life of everyone he meets. He loves his work: he gets fun out of his job. He is childlike, simple, humble, sincere, and forgiving. Finally, he is a giver. His philosophy is to give himself away in service. He is a friend to everyone. He smiles. Perhaps you and I could attain greater happiness if we emulated Santa Claus a little more, for his way is the way of the infant Jesus."



I like this image of Santa because, for me, it puts everything about Christmas into the proper perspective.

Last year Cora was old enough, and ready to learn the truth about Santa Claus. This is what I told her. Santa Claus WAS a real person, who lived a long, long time ago. He was a very good man, and tried to live a Christ-like life. One of the things he was known for was his generosity. He loved to give gifts to others, especially to those in need. People loved him very much. When he died, people wanted to keep his spirit alive, and continue to give they way that he had given to others. To do this, they themselves "became" Santa Claus, passing on the tradition from generation to generation. When you are old enough to learn about Santa Claus, then you take on the responsibility of keeping his spirit alive too, and YOU become Santa Claus (Cora now helps us stuff the Christmas stockings from Santa to the other kids). We do this at Christmas time because it helps us remember the greatest gift of all - our Savior. Part of the tradition of Santa Claus is the magic involved with everything he does. The magic of Christmas is also real. The magic is a feeling of excitement, wonder, peace, and love - Christ-like Love. This magical feeling increases as we "emulate Santa Claus", and focus on the true meaning of Christmas.



At our house Santa only fills the stockings (with an occasional larger gift to be shared) - everything else is from family (when asked why some kids get more presents, or more expensive presents from Santa, we tell our kids that Santa can't afford to make those kinds of presents, and some parents give Santa some extra money to get special gifts;)).



Anyway, this year we told our kids that we would still be getting stockings from Santa, but that instead of doing family presents we wanted to spend that money to help someone else. We had zero complaints about that, and I set out to find some way that we could give, and that the kids could be involved in the process. The other day my friend Kimberly showed me a gift catalogue from Save the Children. You can click on the picture below to take you to the link.


I really liked this because of the variety of ways to donate, the flexibility of the amount you could donate, and how perfect it was for letting my children be involved. So for our Family Home evening we went to the website together and browsed the catalogue. We took time to explain each item to the kids and how much of an impact it could make on someone's life. We told the kids they each had a certain amount of money with which they could purchase gifts for children in need. The gifts range from hygiene kits, to education, to farm animals, etc. You can buy a goat or sheep for $40:) My kids were very excited about the gifts they chose, and I'm so glad we did this.



I'm posting this, not to toot my own horn, but just because it taught me a lesson. I LOVE giving my children presents, just as much as the next parent. And yes, my kids love getting presents. But their joy and happiness on Christmas day, and during the season, is not directly correlated with how many presents they get - that is, they will not be more happy with more presents, or less happy with less presents. I think children really do understand the true meaning of Christmas, and that many times they emulate Sant Claus even better than we do as adults....we just have to give them the opportunity.

2010 Christmas Card

For the second year in a row I am doing a digital Christmas card. For years I always said I would send out Christmas cards, but NEVER did. There was so much guilt:) Last year I decided to just make it easier on myself and send one out via e-mail. It's been an especially crazy holiday season this year, so I'm making it easy on myself again. Here is our card (click on it to enlarge, if necessary)
Next year I would REALLY like to get out an actual Christmas card via snail mail - those really are the best. But for now, this will have to do. We love you all, and wish you a very joyous Christmas season!

Grateful - Take Two

Funerals are really hard, and really wonderful. It's amazing that they can be both of these things. It is only possible because of the knowledge that death is not the end, and we will be with our loved ones again. I'm grateful that when we lose someone, it can actually bring us closer to each other and to God.

I'm so grateful that I was able to go to Utah for my brother-in-law's funeral. This is a picture of my sister Lorraine and her husband Shane.

They have three small children, and I am grateful that I was able to spend so much time with them. I'm grateful that I was able to help my sister clean and organize her house. We even got to celebrate both of our birthdays together. We also got to be there for family Christmas parties. I'm soooooo grateful for my family.

I am grateful that I was able to spend a short amount of time with friends while I was there. My best friend Juli flew in for a couple of days from North Carolina, and we "got the band back together".

I'm grateful that she would even THINK about doing that, let alone actually doing it. I hadn't see her in about 5 years. Why didn't I have a camera when we went to lunch? And also, Why didn't I have a camera when I went to see her sister Katie and meet my new friend Mary? It's possible that I had my camera with me, and just forgot to get it out. That's even lamer then forgetting to bring the camera. I am grateful to know that there will be opportunities in the future to take pictures with these lovely ladies - oh yes, there will be:)

I'm grateful that people give me stuff. Like good books (thanks Mary), and mint chocolate truffles (thanks Amy and Nate), and this (thanks Katie).

I'm grateful for the Christmas season. I'm grateful that we were able to go to Temple Square and see the lights.

It doesn't matter how many times you go, it's still magical. That's the great thing about Christmas - the magic.

This is our whole family, minus my mom and youngest sister Rebekah, and with the addition of the girl in the upper left-hand corner.

I'm grateful when people are willing to take your family picture, and take it several times because children are moving around, not looking at the camera, blinking, and pulling weird faces.
I'm grateful for laughing, and laughing, and laughing. This is my sister Rebekah - she makes me laugh (she's going to love me for posting these pictures).

Most of all, I am grateful for this man.

He is my hero for taking our 4 children - all by himself - on a plane to Seattle, and then driving -through white-out, blizzard conditions - to Utah, so he could be with me for the funeral, and then babysitting those 4 children - by himself - for several days so that I could help my sister with her house and spend a little time with my friends. These were not easy things, but he did them, and I owe him big time. I am also grateful that he is so good looking:)

So much to be grateful for.

So Much to be Grateful for

I was woken up very early on Thanksgiving morning with a call from my sister. Our other sister's husband was in the hospital, and it wasn't looking good. I was in a bit of a fog for the rest of the day. We had six missionaries coming over for a Thanksgiving feast that afternoon, one of whom couldn't have gluten, so I had a lot to do.

When the missionaries arrived, I wasn't quite ready. They asked, "Is there anything we can help with?" Joe was about to say no, because that's what we would normally say when having guests over, but I quickly shouted out "Yes!", and I put them to work - all 6 of them - until everything was done:)

Since rules have changed about feeding missionaries, we haven't been able to feed them in a few years, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to have them in our home, and to feel of the Spirit they brought with them. They were all wonderful young men, and we had so much fun with them. They asked us about a bazillion questions about our missions, adjusting after the mission, dating and getting married, and just life in general. It was perfect.

At the end of the meal, we went around the tabe and each said things we were grateful for. I thought of little things. I was grateful that the furniture store had gotten in their shipment of folding tables 2 days before Thanksgiving, because otherwise we would have been feeding the missionaries on our floor, picnic style. I was grateful that at the commissary I was able to find gluten-free bread mix, cookie mix, and brownie mix, so that I could help make it a better meal for all the missionaries. I was grateful for my husband, who let me take a nap after I got the turkey in the oven, and then cleaned the house while I was sleeping. Little things, but things that helped make the day better.

In my mind, all day, I was thinking of my family back in Utah. I was grateful for far more substantial things, though I did not voice them out loud. I am grateful for my family, and especially the relationships I have with each of my sisters. I am grateful to play the role of "big sister" to them, and I love them fiercely. I am grateful for lessons learned about love and forgiveness, lessons I need to be continually reminded of in new ways. I am grateful for the Savior..."That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God." (D&C 76:24) "He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death." (Mosiah 16:9) "Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth..." (2 Nephi 2:8)

Later that night, which was early morning Thanksgiving in Utah, we received another phone call to let us know that my brother-in-law had passed away. There have been tears, and hurting hearts, and worries about my sister and her 3 small children, but there have also been more tender mercies, reminders of all our blessings, and an abundance of gratitude. We will be going home for the funeral this week, and stay for a couple of weeks to help out in whatever ways we can. When I come back, I'm sure I will have more to say about what I am grateful for.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things....

This is my all-time favorite sign in Korea!
It is on the street where our last apartment was, and I would pass it every single day, and it would make me laugh. Park Jun, is his name. And what is he advertising? Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Do you see at the top? "Beauty Professional". In Korean it says beauty rep, hahahaha :D Don't you just love it? How can you not love it? The truth of the matter is, if I was rich enough to hire a beauty rep, I would hire Park Jun just because of this sign. I would look good, I just know it. This sign is one of the few things I miss about my old apartment....that, and the view of the Han river. At least I have pictures.

Why Do I Blog?

I blog for myself. I blog because it is an easy way for me to follow the prophets and record my own family history. I know that there is value in this, even in writing down the mundane, day-to-day events of our lives. I like to write down the funny things my kids say. When something is particularly funny you always think, I'll never forget that because it was soooo funny. But you do forget. You forget little things, and you even forget big things. I love going back and reading about things that I have forgotten.

My grandma taught me the importance of writing things down because she was a writer. She wrote 7 (I think 7) books about her own life, and the lives of other family members. I especially love reading her autobiography.

Here are 3 examples of some of her day-to-days:

"A day and an evening of caring for [four little children] found me weary by nightfall. I used to crawl into bed and just ache with the need and desire for a night of uninterrupted sleep, but it never came. One or the other child required attention at various intervals...And now that the time has come when I could sleep-forever-if-I-wish, I find that I cannot sleep-forever-if-I-wish. Habits have been formed which do not easily give way."

"When Beth and Ed (friends) were married I gave a party for Beth at my home. I had three little girls then. LaRene (youngest daughter) could walk, but was sitting in the high chair being a true darling when the ladies arrived. They were in the front room visiting, and several of them mentioned what lovely well-mannered children I had. I let LaRene out of the high chair and she went into the kitchen out of my sight with the other two. All was quiet. I should have been warned. Just then I looked up and saw Merrill (neighbor) standing in the doorway between my bedroom and the living room, beckoning to me. I went over to him and he whispered, 'I'm wondering if these three in the kitchen could be those wonderfully well-behaved children the ladies are talking about.' I went into the kitchen and there they were on the floor 'making a cake'. They had a large mixing bowl and were stirring up such a cake as I have never seen since. There were broken eggs, shells and all, a supply of rice, some baking powder, soda, flour, sugar, milk, vinegar and whatever else they could reach from my cupboard shelves all being vigorously stirred together. Merrill chuckled at the look on my face and said if I didn't pay him a little hush money he'd go right into the front room and invite all those ladies into the kitchen to see what well-trained children I had."

"All was not sweetness and light. Many times I was impatient and would fly off the handle at small or large irritations. Lorenzo (husband) took my temper tantrums in stride and kidded me along. Once I got mad and threw a stove lid on the floor. Lorenzo laughed and raced outdoors. He said he'd best get further away than I could throw the poker. As soon as the lid hit the floor, I was ashamed and sorry. He was more patient than I....He was a dear person, very good to and for me. He always spoke highly of me, never put me down before other people, nor made light of me nor said disparaging remarks about me to others."

Now, she also wrote about the more exciting and serious events of her life, like having a double wedding with her dad, a house fire that destroyed their newly remodeled home, 5 children she was watching eating poison and having to induced vomiting by drinking soapy dish water, getting charged by a bull...more than once, etc. But I like reading about the more mundane, day-to-day things she wrote too, because they speak to me as a wife and mother. I knew her personally as a grandmother, but through her writing I can see her as someone I would be friends with - someone who is going through some of the same things as I am (I could have written those same things myself) - and it makes me feel closer to her. It ties us together as families should be tied together. When I read the things about her mother (my great-grandma) I feel tied to her as well. There are many times I wish my grandma was still alive so that I could ask her what she would do/or did in a certain situation. The things she wrote are the next best thing to that.

And that is why you should keep your family history, and that is why I blog. So here's some more of my day-to-day.

(A couple of months ago) Alex always wants to be carried. We want him to walk. He's heavy. So he's resorted to saying, "I'm sick" to try to get us to carry him. Whenever he says, "I'm sick" I try to prompt him to say, "I'm lazy", but he usually doesn't. The other day we went on a walk together as a family. On the way back Alex wanted Joe to carry him. "I'm sick", he kept saying. Joe picked him up and said, "I want to be carried. I'm sick too." Not to be outdone, Alex said, "I'm sick three."

Madelyn - "Can I listen to music Daddy? Yes or No?"
Joe - "Maybe"
Madelyn - "That is not a choice Daddy. You have two choices."
Joe - "Then No."
Madelyn - "You can't choose that Daddy. You have one choice."


About his Halloween candy, JT said, "It's all so good, I don't know what to choose. I guess I'll just choose randomly in order."

Eight is Great!

And now for the final blog installment of our visit with Joe's parents, and the REAL reason why they came. JT turned 8 years old and was baptized! My children are growing insanely fast - before you know it I'm going to have a teenager, and I just don't know what to do with that. Good thing I have a few years left.

JT's birthday is at the end of October, and remember last year how I said that we had never managed to have JT's birthday in the month of October, but that I vowed the next year that I would be on top of things and have his party in October? Yeah, well, that didn't happen. But it was close! We had the party on November 1st, and that's the best I've ever done. Baby steps.

We had JT's party at the bowling alley on base, and invited a few friends. We had a party table set up for us...

...and a birthday banner hung across our two lanes.

I'm pretty sure everyone had a good time bowling...

...but they might have been more excited about pizza. It's funny how excited kids get about pizza. It's not THAT much of a novelty, is it?:)

I also made some cupcakes, and JT requested orange frosting. It is really hard to get just the right color of orange when you are mixing red and yellow food coloring gel.

After the party was over, Alex helped himself to some more cupcakes - JUST THE TOPS! The little turd. That is such an Alex thing to do.

We had JT's baptism on the 7th of November.

JT asked his grandpa to talk about baptism, and his dad to talk about the Holy Ghost. When I was typing up the baptismal program, it was getting confusing - Joseph Liddell getting baptized by Joseph Liddell; Joseph Liddell talking on baptism; Joseph Liddell talking on Holy Ghost; Joseph Liddell playing music; Joseph Liddell being confirmed by Joseph Liddell. You get the picture. Yes, we have many Joseph Liddells - 4 to be exact.

There's Joseph Thomas Liddell (great grandpa - goes by Joe)

Then Joseph Michael Liddell (grandpa - goes by Joe, or big Joe)

Joseph Matthew Liddell (dad - goes by Joe, got called little Joe as a kid and hated it)

And finally Joseph Thomas Liddell (named after great grandpa, goes by JT to avoid confusion with all the Joes)

We were glad to have 3 of the 4 Joseph Liddells present for JT's baptism.

What can I say about JT? When JT was a baby, and especially as a toddler, he used to soothe himself by rubbing my hair in his fingers. And since he was a very sensitive child, he did it a lot. I wish life was always that easy for him. He's still a very sensitive child, and he doesn't always know how to handle his emotions, or to soothe himself when I'm not around....sometimes when I am around:) But he's learning. He's learning so many things. I think most things he learns come very easy for him, especially at school. He picks things up quickly, like reading, and he never forgets anything once he's learned it. He's also learning how to play the piano, and just started lessons. He is learning how to be more responsible and helpful at home. I think this is due, in part, to the fact that he has to do chores to earn video game time, and that's pretty much his favorite thing to do. And he started cub scouts, so he's learning what that's all about (and so am I). The best things about JT, which comes from his sensitivity, is that he is such a loving child. He is constantly giving us hugs and kisses, and saying he loves us, and he's always the first kid to want to cuddle. JT is full of life and energy. He loves going to the playground. He loves to dance - he's got some moves:) He's always moving.

We love you JT - Happy Birthday!

A Foggy Fluke....or Something Like That:)

I recently heard about a Buddhist temple that we hadn't visited before, so we wanted to go there with Joe's parents. The temple is on a little island called Seongmodo, and it is VERY close to the North Korean border - pretty much on it. In this map you can see where it is located. The enlarged box shows a bigger island, and a smaller island. You cross a bridge to get onto the bigger island, and then you take a ferry to get onto the smaller island, which is where the temple is. It took us about 2 hrs. to get there, even though it's only about 40 miles from Seoul. When we were literally 1 kilometer away from the ferry, traffic completely stopped. We were on a narrow two-lane road. We didn't know what the hold-up was, but we inched forward as other cars turned around and went back the other way. We were there for at least another 1/2 hr. Finally, we forced Joe out of the car to go and see what was going on. He came back and said that the ferry had stopped running due to the fog. Did I mention that it was really foggy? Didn't you guess from the title? Anyway, people were getting antsy, and contemplating turning around ourselves. I did NOT want to go back. We decided that we would turn off the road, go and get some lunch, and hope that the ferry was running when we got done. Being that we were at the seaside, all the restaraunts were selling crab and shrimp. We all love crab and shrimp, so we figured this would be a treat for us. We ordered noodles with clams, a kind of soup with crab, and a big pot of king shrimp. First, the shrimp came out - a ton of them on a layer of sea salt, ready to be cooked.

You cannot tell from the picture, but the shrimp were ALIVE! We were not expecting that. It was a comical and disturbing to watch those shrimp get cooked.

You know how they say if you put a frog in cold water and then heat it up, it will never even notice that something is wrong until it's too late? Well, I would not say that's how it was with these shrimp. They were popping and jumping all around in there, and we were afraid the lid would come right off. But no, they died.

After the massacre was over, we used a pair of scissors to cut off the heads. Some were more wary than others.

Then they were peeled and eaten, along with the other food. Just think, we may have never experienced that if it wasn't for the fog. Well, the fog lifted enough, and we were able to ride the ferry over.

There was a quaint little town on the island, and at the base of the mountain where the temple was were all kinds of vendors.

This lady gave Madelyn a piece of something gooey - I have no idea what it was, but Madelyn had one bite, and then it got wrapped in a napkin and put in my pocket.

This was the entrance to the temple area.

It was a very steep hill that we had to climb to get there. You couldn't tell as much going up...

...but just look at it going down!

This was a gorgeous place, especially surrounded by the mountain and the fall leaves. And it was unique - unlike any other temple that we've visited. We were all very glad that we had not given up and just gone home.